Roksanda Ilinčić grew up in Serbia and studied architecture and design in Belgrade before a womenswear master's at Central Saint Martins. You can see the architect in the clothes: sculptural silhouettes, volume where you want it and block color used like a structural element. She introduced the label at London Fashion Week in 2005, and the first collection had only 12 or 14 pieces, shown with models walking among tables the way a couture salon would. That intimate scale still suits the dresses. The Oma silk gown and the Aela scarf-detail satin gown are the evening pieces, the Silk Munir maxi dress is the long and fluid one, and the Cape-Overlay Demetria maxi dress is the most dramatic. Among the midis, the Crepe Draped Nila, the Maite cape-detailed asymmetric bonded crepe and the Crepe One-Shoulder Elva play with line, while the Rova and Capsule Esra cloqué dresses and the Sola hammered satin dress bring surface texture. If you are dressing for a formal invitation, my black tie wedding guest dress guide shows which gowns meet the code.

This second group is the largest, and it is the best place to see how the brand repeats an idea. The Maite caped crêpe and caped cloqué midi dresses return in a few versions, the Silk Satin Andromeda maxi dress and the Silk Nella gown are the floor-length options, and the Satin Sami scarf maxi dress ties a long scarf into the neckline. For shorter hours there is the High-Neck Zoa mini dress, the Bow-Tied Calita midi dress and the Caia draped wool midi dress. The Silk Floral Oshone and the Bridal Aya cloqué midi dress bring print and white into the mix. A practical test for volume: sit down in it. A dress with draping should still let you move your arms and cross your legs without gathering at the waist, and the cady pieces, the Eryl cady midi dress and the cady gown, hold their shape better than the softer silks. What I would skip is a heavy necklace with the scarf and bow-neck styles, since the neckline is already the detail. For evenings that start earlier, my cocktail dress guide is a useful companion.

Not every Roksanda piece needs a party. The tops are where the same sense of line gets simple enough for a normal day. The V-Neck Delan shirt, the Maris silk-satin top and the Satin Enira top are the clean shapes, the Satin Printed Nomi blouse and the Silk Printed Leonara blouse add pattern, and the Satin Nomi one-shoulder blouse is the dressier one. The Nava scarf-neck satin top and the Tie-Neck Satin Luma blouse echo the scarf dresses above, so they pair nicely if you like that detail. Tuck any of them into a plain trouser and let the sleeve do the talking. For a wider look at the fabric, my best silk blouses is worth a read.

The last group is four pieces, all bottoms. The Nael wide-leg trousers and the Satin Ragosta tailored trousers are the two for the office or a dinner, and the Amari draped satin midi skirt comes in a solid and a printed version. The architecture training shows again in the Amari drape, which falls in clean folds rather than clinging, which is where the label's sculptural idea is easiest to see on a skirt. The Nael wide-leg trousers have the same ease, and a flat shoe keeps them relaxed. A simple pairing test: if the top has volume, keep the bottom narrow, and if the skirt has volume, keep the top fitted. For more of the idea, see my guide to the satin skirt as daytime dressing and the satin pants edit.

Ilinčić opened her first store in June 2014 on Mount Street in Mayfair, designed with the architect David Adjaye, and was appointed MBE in 2023. That tells me the label was always as much about space and structure as about dresses. I would pick one sculptural piece, a draped midi or a block color gown, and keep everything around it quiet.

For more in the same spirit, take a look at Black Halo Gowns and Dresses and Simon Miller Dresses and Skirts.