The Met's Costume Institute holds a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress from 1975 to 76, and its curators call the wrap a "sensation" of the 1970s. They are careful to say the shape already existed in American sportswear. What DVF did was translate it into brighter, bolder, stretchier fabrics, and that is the whole idea of a good dress label: a familiar shape, said in a voice you recognize.

 

That is how I think about dress brands. You stop shopping silhouettes one at a time and start learning who does what best. DVF does the day to evening wrap that comes on and off easily. FARM Rio, founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1997, turns out more than 700 exclusive prints a year. DÔEN lives in organic cotton, smocking and shirring. Faithfull the Brand does the soft, easy cotton midi.

 

So begin with the wrap and the day dress. The DVF Amara in Titian Red is the obvious opener: a long sleeve viscose wrap with a V-neck and a tie waist, which I would wear in October with opaque tights and a flat boot. The FARM Rio Garden Delight is a green wrap mini with scalloped edges and embroidered blooms, the one I would reach for when everything else in the closet is gray. The two DÔEN dresses, the Mallory in Dahlia and the Quinley in Deep Ruby, are the smocked and shirred cotton option for a long lunch, and the Faithfull Marcella in cobalt has front slant pockets, which I always want.

 

Tip: tie a wrap or shirred dress and sit down before you commit. If the bodice rides up or the waist digs in when you sit, go up a size.

Rixo started in 2015 when Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey, who met at university studying fashion management, launched with prints handpainted in London and silhouettes borrowed from vintage clothes. It is still owned by the two founders, and dresses are the heart of the range. That is a good lens for this group, because a printed midi is really a question of how the print behaves in motion.

 

The Rixo Thanvi in butterfly paisley is cream and lilac with flutter sleeves and a ruffled tiered skirt, so the print breaks up as you walk. The DÔEN Benoit is dense and painterly with a gathered bust, and the Rhodia in yellow and blue has puffed cap sleeves and a flared skirt. For something darker and more October, the DVF Mavis puts bold pink blooms on a deep ground with a gathered waist, and the Ulla Johnson Marin is a dark floral cotton with a split neckline and big cap sleeves. The Veronica Beard Avenel is beige paisley silk chiffon on the bias, and the FARM Rio Emily is a cotton floral with a plunging V and a tiered cutwork skirt.

 

In my fashion dreams she is walking into a dinner in the Staud Amaris, an off the shoulder mosaic floral in packable mesh, with a black leather jacket slung over it.

 

In the fitting room, lift your arms and take a full step. A tiered skirt should swing without pulling the waist, and a bias cut should hang, not cling.

 

What I would skip: a busy print with a busy bag and a busy scarf. Let the dress talk.

A knit dress is just a sweater that got long, and the good ones keep a bit of structure so you look dressed and not bundled. I would wear most of these with tall boots, which is how Vogue pairs sweater dresses: pants out of the picture, tall boots in, plus a statement necklace.

 

The DVF Bellina is the wrap logic in knit, an olive merino wool and cashmere blend with a contrast two tone belt. The Veronica Beard Nami is a knit to fit sweater dress in rust and gray space dye stripes with a flared skirt. Staud does two very different things: the Hale is an ivory cable knit mini with long flared sleeves and curved cabling over the bust, while the Norman has an oversized charcoal bodice, a slim midi skirt and a removable scarf belt. Rixo's Aly is a chocolate ribbed turtleneck mini with a slim gold belt, and the cream Matiah is a long sleeve midi that I would belt over a pair of wool tights. The Anine Bing Imane is a black soft knit mini with voluminous sleeves, and the Ulla Johnson Amina is a striped cotton knit with fringe at the hem.

 

Test the knit on your hand: stretch a bit of the fabric and see if it snaps back. Sit down in it, then lift your arms to check the sleeve does not pull the hem up.

 

What I would skip: a clingy knit mini with no lining if your tights are sheer. Pick the heavier ones, or add a slip underneath.

A slip dress does not need to be a nightgown with ambitions. Harper's Bazaar UK suggests wearing a favorite slip for day by throwing on a big cardigan in a similar or matching color, and I would take that advice straight into October. Go for a cardigan or an oversized knit, then add boots, and the satin stops being a party thing.

 

Look at the construction. The Veronica Beard Vernon is a steel blue satin slipdress with lace along the neckline and hem. The DÔEN Coraline is a brown floral satin maxi with a lace edged neckline and flutter sleeves, and the FARM Rio Golden Nature is a navy bias cut slip with an ornate botanical print and a strappy back. For evening, the Ulla Johnson Lena is a pleated amaranth purple satin gown with a plunging V, and the Staud Joy is black duchesse satin with side pockets and a big gathered sweep. The Anine Bing Blanca is a black satin midi with an asymmetric seam, the Carissa is a blush silk blend with a lace trimmed bust and adjustable straps, and the Faithfull slip in ginger is a rust orange maxi with a square neckline.

 

Fitting test: check the straps adjust, then raise your arms and bend forward. Satin shows every pull, so look at the seams in a bright mirror.

 

What I would skip: a stiff, shiny satin worn with a stiff, shiny jacket. Give it something soft, like a cardigan or a wool coat, to cut the sheen.

Good Housekeeping puts the shirt dress rule in one line: to give it more shape, just add a belt. I would add that the belt can be part of the dress or a separate one, which is where this group gets interesting. A shirt dress is the easiest way to look put together in under a minute.

 

DVF knows the sash. The Diane is a black long sleeve button front shirtdress with a sash belt at knee length, and the Sana in chocolate is a midi with a collar and a wrap waist tie. The Veronica Beard Pryce is a black belted style with a hidden button placket and a subtle front slit. FARM Rio makes the Millena in winter white, a printed midi with a point collar, buttoned cuffs and a removable tie, and the Nikita is black with an artful print. At Anine Bing, the Noemi is an oversized black midi with dropped shoulders and side slits, and the Mary is a freshwater blue denim button down mini with a chest pocket. The Staud Nico is a navy cotton poplin mini with three quarter sleeves and a shirttail hem. I went deeper on a related idea in Denim Dress Guide: Midis, Minis and Shirt Styles Worth Wearing Now.

 

Check the placket lies flat when you sit, and that the bust does not gape when you reach forward. Roll the cuffs, because buttoned cuffs on a long sleeve look sharper when pushed up.

 

What I would skip: an oversized shirt dress with an oversized coat. Choose one big shape and keep the other close.

I would start with the shape you already reach for, then find the brand that does it best. Wrap and day dress: DVF. Print: Rixo or FARM Rio. Smocked cotton: DÔEN. Satin and knit: Anine Bing or Staud.

 

Then pick one dress for the next two weeks of weather and one for a dinner. Try it sitting down, with your arms up, and with the layer you will actually wear over it. Sezane, the French label launched online in 2013, built a whole business on easy, pretty dresses, and that is the right level of ambition.

 

Somewhere in a museum, a 1970s wrap is still getting the last word on this. Your move is to find the modern version you will wear on Tuesday.