SNDYS Dresses: A Shopper's Guide to Fit

I like that this label's story begins with a day of the week. Melanie Purcell and Lauren Gocher, the directors, set Sunday aside for family, adventure and newness, then built SNDYS around that feeling. I hear it in the mix of celebration and ease: you can start with a dress, then add the coat or knit that changes how you wear it.

The label calls itself bold and strongly feminine, but its aim is more generous than a dress code. It wants classic, accessible pieces that let women decide how much of their own style to show. It all comes from Sydney's Sutherland Shire, and I think you can feel the weekend in it. Read more in the brand's own story.

These dresses show SNDYS moving between lengths and moods without losing its feminine point of view. The Tonya Slip Maxi Dress gives you the slip shape, the Helene Mini Dress and Marlowe Mini Dress keep things short, and the Evelyn Midi Dress lands between them. I like that none of them insist on one occasion, from a pared-back day to a dressed-up plan. I went deeper on a related idea in Never Fully Dressed Dresses: A Shopper's Guide.

Picture her at a long lunch in the Evelyn Midi Dress, with low sandals and a light jacket for the walk home. With the minis, I would sit and move before choosing a shoe, since balance is the difference between comfortable and fussing all night.

Shorts give the collection a more casual register. The Ines Short keeps to white, the Richie Contrast Short brings a contrasting note, the Shelley Short is black, and the Wendy Faux Croc Mini Short puts its texture right in the name.

Picture her on a warm Saturday in the Richie Contrast Short with a simple tank and flat sandals, letting the shorts be the color. I would keep the top plain if the faux croc is already setting the tone, and try the classic and mini shapes separately, because they will not sit the same way.

This is where SNDYS adds polish without turning the outfit formal. The Myka Trench Coat and Mikkel Trench Coat are two long-line options, the Jovie Cinched Blazer is the more shaped layer, and the Ezrah Jacket takes the lighter-jacket slot. They are familiar forms with a little feminine edge built in, which suits a label interested in classic pieces.

I would choose the coat by what goes underneath: leave room through the shoulders for a knit, and decide whether the hem should finish shorter or longer than a dress. That small proportion check keeps layers looking considered. What I would skip is a second trench, since the two do much the same work.

Knitwear makes a good counterpoint to the dresses and sharper layers. The Nettie Knit Cardigan is dusty pink, the Cozi Knit Sweater is mushroom, and the Crystal Sequin Knit Jumper is black with some evening shine, with the Adley Cardigan as another black layer. I like that the line moves from soft color to sparkle while staying in familiar shapes.

In my fashion dreams, she throws the Nettie Knit Cardigan over a slip dress on the way to dinner, then trades it for the sequined jumper when the night gets louder. For daytime, I would start with the Cozi Knit Sweater and a smooth skirt so the shape stays easy to read.

That is the part of the SNDYS story I keep: not a single uniform, but room to make the clothes your own. Purcell and Gocher's Sunday idea comes through in dresses, shorts and layers that answer to different plans, and its bold femininity does not ask everyone to style things the same way. It is a Sydney label making classic pieces so women feel free to express themselves. Although I would still pick Sunday for the knitwear.