The humble but hard-working ‘house dress’, a simple frock worn informally at home for household chores or for quick errands, is designed for times like this, when we are all juggling working from home and homeschooling. The term originated in the late nineteenth century to describe at-home garments designed for maximum practicality and usually made from washable fabrics. Unencumbered by an overly-narrow waist, awkward digging-in zippers, finicky design details that need a lot of care and ironing, who doesn’t want one? COS has a good selection of these easy-to-wear dresses in good quality fabrics that are reasonably priced. The Scandi brand’s pattern works because while the dresses are cut for a slightly loose fit with full-ish skirts, the back and shoulders are cut for a narrow fit, so no blousy, excess fabric. It’s all about the balance. Central Saint Martins graduate Louise Markey’s line LF Markey collections are based on the bleu de travail  fashion movement (think fashion photographer Bill Cunningham’s famous blue jacket; French workwear-style clothes). Markey riffs on utilitarian, practical shapes and fabrics with a feminine approach. House dresses give a nod to the lazy fashion trend but are still polished, which is exactly why they are ideal for right now as many of us are spending endless days at home. Layer with knits on top and jeans or leggings underneath on colder days or simply pair with chunky slides on holiday or pumps and a blazer (when we are back) to the office.