An open back is one of those details that changes the entire register of a dress. Not just the look of it. The feeling of wearing it. There is something about the exposure of skin at the back, the clean line of a low scoop or a crossed strap, that makes a slip dress feel genuinely considered rather than simply easy. Which is exactly why the two work so well together.

Slip dresses already do a lot. The bias cut moves properly. The fabric sits close without performing. And when you add an open back into that equation you get something that has genuine occasion power without trying hard at all. We have been pulling together our favourite slip dresses specifically for the moments where the back of the dress matters as much as the front. Summer evenings. Weddings where you want to look extraordinary rather than appropriate. Dinners that deserve more than a reliable option.

The neckline draws attention at the front. The open back keeps it once you have turned away. That combination is precisely the point.