Meet one of my favourite styles of dress - it's the perfect all rounder!

A shirt dress really is one of those dresses that's a good all rounder. There's a much wider range of clothes that can now go from the beach, to the bar, to the boardroom and this linen shirt dress from Whistles (available in store but not on line) is definitely one of those items . I first spotted it on a friend who was wearing it whilst out walking her dog. Along with her coral lippie and sunglasses it looked fab. When we next went for our run, I asked her where it was from - and then I mercilessly copied her.

I'm wearing my shirt dress in quite a dressed up way for me, at least, with Jigsaw heels plus some tassel earrings and a pom pom clutch, both from Accessorize.

I worked with this Fenn Wright Manson linen dress (down to £69 from £169) at an event that I did a few months ago now. I like it for its length and the fact that it has an under slip to prevent that whole see through business.

We styled the dress for a festival with lots of necklaces and bangles plus flat beaded sandals but it would work just as well with some heels and gold jewellery for a dressed up look.

Although this dress doesn't come with a belt, it has this lovely button detail at the back, which stops the dress from being too voluminous just by pulling it in a little.

Thinking ahead to the late summer/early autumn, Atterley  has this lovely luxury shirt dress in burgundy (£55). It also comes in navy and black so there's plenty of choice and it has that versatility of being able to layer something under it (maybe a striped top) or something over it (maybe a leather jacket).

The shape could be changed by belting the dress and then pulling the dress up over the belt to make it shorter and slightly more blouson on the top half. I also love that for those ladies with a curvier bust, the top few buttons of the dress can be undone to create more of a v-neck, which is so much more flattering. Later on, as the weather gets colder, it could be worn with tights and boots - so there are plenty of options.

Just a note about the Whistles dress, once ironed, it doesn't crease too much, unlike some linen clothes. As to size, it comes up huge. I'm wearing a size 6 but there wasn't that much difference between that and the 4, so if you do come across small ones in store, don't be put off by them.

Let me know your shirt dress views. I love them for their easy, throw on nature - they're a bit like the sticky toffee pudding at a dinner party - a bit safe but good enough for everyone to love.