Dress of the Day: Nicholas Millington floral print dress

Floral print isn't something we generally associate with party dresses, because it tends to have something of a daytime feel to it. We'd make an exception for this Nicholas Millington dress, though: the silk-look fabric glams it up enough for evening, or special events, and the green colour is gorgeous. The skirt is the ubiquitous tulip shape, which we know some of you object too, but it's a little hard to avoid right now, unfortunately. This is £69 from Additions Direct.

Dress of the Day: Fitted bow dress from Oli

As the Christmas party season starts to get into gear, any dress that isn't black tends to stand out and grab the attention of The Fashion Police. This dress from Oli was no exception: we're big fans of this mink colour, and with the right shoes and accessories, we think it could be a real show-stopper.

We're also fans of the fitted shape and sweetheart neckline, both of which help add a touch of glamour, with the stretch satin-look fabric being the finishing touch.

Finally, there's the price. We don't think £40 is too much to pay for a dress like this - now we just need to find somewhere to wear it!

Dress of the Day: Black bell-sleeved dress from Whistles

Looks a little bit like the dresses The Fashion Police officers are wearing in our banner, doesn't it? God, we love it when that happens. We're also complete and utter suckers for it, which is why this black, bell-sleeved dress from Whistles is your Dress of the Day, folks: enjoy!

We can has cheezburger dress?

So, you know all those times when you're eating a cheeseburger, and you suddenly look down at it and think, "Damn, I wish I was wearing this cheeseburger rather than just eating it"?  We've all been there, right?

It need no longer be just a dream, friends. No, we can has cheezburger dress, and we can has have it by visiting Joy Kampia's website, where you can also buy a crocheted ice cream cone dress, ice cream sundae dress and more.

We're lovin' it.

[Thanks to Carol for the report!] 

Dress of the Day: Stella McCartney silk sequin dress

It's Friday night, and if you're looking for a show-stopper of a dress - preferably one with sequins all over it - then look no further.

This dress is by Stella McCartney, and will set you back £1,695, and while the price doesn't really bear thinking about, we've found ourselves drawn to sparkly mini dresses lately (no, we don't really know why either) and this one is definitely an attention-getter.

Does it get your attention in a good way, though? If it does, and you have the cash to splash, you can pick it up at Net-a-Porter.

Reader-Nominated Dress of the Day: Cowl-neck silk dress by Lovenia

This dress was nominated for Dress of the Day by Fashion Police reader Maddie, and we can see why she loved it, because as little black dresses go, this is one of the nicer ones we've seen. We love the cowl neck and wide skirt, and while it's very simple and elegant, it'll dress up very easily - it's great with the red lipstick and severe hair shown here, for example!

For more info, click here.

Black Halo on a Budget: Jackie dress from Eye Candy Buy Candy

The Fashion Police love Black Halo, and particularly their classic Jackie O dress, which we loved enough to make a Dress of the Day back in March of this year. The dress was $328, but it's now out of stock at Revolve Clothing, and can be hard to get hold of elsewhere, too, so we were pleased to find this budget alternative at Eye Candy Buy Candy for $80. This is also available in hot pink, and the site is currently offering 10% off all purchases - just enter the code GRAND10 at checkout.

Dress of the Day: Silver sequin siren dress from Miss Selfridge

Sequins on dresses can go very, very wrong, but we think this dress from Miss Selfridge manages to get it right. At first glance it looks a little on the shapeless side, but once it's on, we have a feeling it'll cling to your body just enough to give it some shape without looking trashy. It also manages to look simple but glamorous, and could be a bit of a show-stopper with the right accessories. It's £85 at Miss Selfridge.

Dress of the Day: Green silk open-back dress from Whistles

We know what you're probably thinking, and yes, you're partly right. This dress is mostly here because of the gorgeous green colour, but it's also the kind of classic, easy-to-wear shape that needs only a great pair of heels and a pretty clutch bag to be one of the most stunning looks of the evening.

Be ye not alarmed by the "open back" referenced in the title, either: yes, the back is slashed from neck to waistline at the back, so you're going to need those weird stick-on bras if you feel the need for some support, but the opening isn't too wide, or too trashy looking, and we actually think it adds an extra point of interest to the dress.

This is also available in a glorious purple colour, and we're hard-pressed to choose between them. If you can make your mind up, it's £195 at Whistles.

Dress of the Day: Aqua Couture Asymmetric Bow Button Dress

If you thought (or, indeed, hoped) the trend for bows on everything was drawing to a close, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but: it's not.

No, the bows are still around, and they're out in force for the Christmas party season, which will be good news for some of you and not so great for others.

We like this purple asymmetric bow dress by Aqua Couture, which is also available in red. This is one that looks better when you watch the video of it on the ASOS website than it does in this picture, so we'd recommend doing that if you think you might like it but aren't totally convinced.

If, on the other hand, you are totally convinced, you can proceed straight to the checkout, where it'll cost you £75.

Dress of the Day: Robert Rodriguez Bow Strap Double Knit Dress

We don't know if the "blonde bombshell" look being worked by the model in this picture had any influence over our decision to feature Robert Rodriguez's Bow Strap Double Knit Dress as our Dress of the Day today, but we reckon it probably helped. A little.

That's not to say the dress isn't worthy of attention under it's own merits, of course, because we think it most definitely is. This is yet another take on the "little black dress with a bow on it" look, but Rodriguez has kept it fresh by draping the bow over the shoulder and adding a sexy, deep V back.

We like. If you do too, it's $385 at Nordstrom.

Dress of the Day: Bustier Detail Pleated Mini Dress by Black Halo

Black Halo are The Brand That Can Do No Wrong right now as far as The Fashion Police are concerned, and we really hope we're not tempting fate with that statement.

It came as no surprise to us, then, when we instantly focused in on this dress over at Shopbop, that it's made by Black Halo. It has that characteristic "classic-but-sexy" look to it, and although the plunging neckline is just a little too low for us to wear without wanting to tug it up all night, the gorgeous purple colour makes up for it.

If you live it to, it's $325 at Shopbop.

Save or Splurge: Tiered prom dresses by Miu Miu and Red Herring

The little black dress is often described as a "wardrobe staple", and although ruffles have been very much in fashion this year, we still think this particular style could probably see you through a season or two at least (or you could just wait for the next time ruffles are in fashion...).

Does the alleged "classic" status of the LBD make you want to splurge on one, though, or do you think these ones would date quickly enough to make you want to save on one instead? The dress on the left is our "save" option, and is £16.50 at Debenhams, while the Miu Miu option on the right is a definite "splurge" at £1055.

Assuming you were in the market for a black, tiered prom dress, then, which one would you choose? Would you Save or Splurge?

Dress of the Day: La Petite S***** bow bustier dress

We love almost everything about this dress by La Petite S*****, but suspect the shininess of the gold fabric will give some of you pause for thought.

Net-a-Porter say it's " the perfect holiday party-package", and that's true, in that you'll look a lot like a gaudily packaged Christmas present -and a rather sexy one at that. If that doesn't put you off, the price might: this is £795, and is available from Net-a-Porter.

Dress of the Day: Catherine Malandrino pintucked dress with ruffle sleeves

Ah, it's that lovely bright blue we've been seeing so much of this season! Such a nice change from black, and it alone would've been enough to draw our eyes to this Catherine Malandrino dress, but the cute little ruffled sleeves make it extra special. Well, we think so, anyway. If you think so too, it's $495 from Shopbop.

Reem: Finalists in the Scariest Dress Ever Award 2009

We've arrested many a sheer dress (or "shress", if you will) in our time at The Fashion Police, but we think this may be the scariest one ever, not just because a few scraps of lace are all that stand between you and the elements in it, but because of the strange ruffles framing your almost-naked body.

From the picture it's kinda hard to tell, but we're pretty sure there's actually a flesh-coloured panel underneath the bodice, and we're grateful for that small mercy, but still feel that a dress that appears to leave you naked is almost as bad as one that actually does. If you disagree, however, this is by Reem, is £1,488 and you can buy it here.

Dress of the Day: Batwing maxi dress from Warehouse

Maxi dresses don't tend to get much of a look in at Dress of the Day, so in the interests of diversity, here's Warehouse's nod towards the 70s vibe going on in fashion land at the moment. If you have the right occasion (and figure) for it, we think this could be a stunning and refreshingly different dress to wear - glossy lips and shimmery eyes will complete the 70s feel, just try and steer clear of the frosted lipstick and blue eyeliner...

This is £90 at Warehouse.

Fraud Squad: Marc Jacobs V. Moniko Claire

Excuse us for having Halloween costumes on the brain today, but this Moniko Claire dress is such a very cheap looking copy of Marc Jacobs' Alessandra dress that the girl on the right looks almost as if she's in fancy dress as the girl on the left, no? Like she bought her dress from one of those cheap fancy dress sites, as some kind of pre-prepared 'Marc Jacobs' costume or something.

Ironically enough, though, this isn't exactly a "cheap" option. It's $210 to the $428 original price of the Marc Jacobs dress, but given that the original went down to $150 in the Neiman Marcus sale before selling out, we think you'd be kicking yourself if you ended up paying more than that for the copy, don't you?

Dress of the Day: one shoulder pencil dress from Karen Millen

Sometimes simple really is best. This one shoulder pencil dress from Karen Millen is certainly simple enough to mean you'll get plenty of wear out of it (this type of dress will see you through many, many formal occasions), but with just enough detail to make it stand out.

The one-shoulder design and contrast fabric on the figure-hugging bodice give this something of a designer look, but at £160 it's expensive, but not so much that you'll have to mortgage the house to pay for it - always a good thing, we find.

Wear with the highest of heels and a swept-up hairdo for a polished look that never goes wrong.

Buy it online from the Karen Millen website.

Dress of the Day: Cogs dress from French Connection

A nice alternative to the classic LBD, French Connection's Cogs Dress has a lovely beaded neckline and a deep-V back that makes it much less demure than it may seem at first glance. We're fans of the cinched-in waist, and think this is the kind of dress you'd end up wearing again and again, but without getting bored of it. It's £140 from frenchconnection.co.uk.

Dress of the Day: Pink check shift dress from Dorothy Perkins

Yes, yes, we know what we've said about tartan in the past, but The Fashion Police can be fickle, and although we still hate the traditional "Royal Stewart-esque" look (especially on trousers), we're not adverse to a large check, in a less "loud" colour scheme, and we find we're not adverse to this pink check shift dress from Dorothy Perkins, either.

The pink is certainly vivid here, but the soft grey helps mute it, leaving you with a look that's fairly modern and somehow perfect for winter. If you like the shape of the dress but not the colours, meanwhile, it's also available in more classic looking black and grey versions.

This is £35 at Dorothy Perkins.

Dress of the Day: Sara Berman sequin front tunic dress

Sequin-covered dresses are the kind of thing you have tread very carefully with. Many of them are fashion-criminals-in-waiting, and if you get it wrong, you can end up looking like a cruise ship singer or a Vegas showgirl. Which is fine if you're in one of those professions, of course, but otherwise not such a great look...

We think this simple tunic by Sara Berman represents the right way to wear sequins, though: the no-frills design makes up for the high-shine front, and the dress looks anything but cheap - which is a good thing given that it's £229.

Dress of the Day: Marc by Marc Jacobs cut-out polka dot dress

We're still loving the 60s-inspired shift dresses that are cropping up everywhere at the moment and this polka-dot dress from the Marc by Marc Jacobs label is a great example of all the things we love about this style, from the simple neckline to the gathered sleeves and short skirt.

That skirt will, of course, be too short for many of us, although the fact that it's shown here on an undoubtedly statuesque model probably makes it look shorter than it would be on mere mortals. If you'd prefer not to have to worry about flashing your knickers all the time, though, a pair of opaque tights will do the job.

We're less enthused about the back of this dress, which is plain black with a cut-out at the neck, and we'd have preferred it if Marc could've resisted the impulse to be "clever" and just made the back as simple as the front, but if you're unfazed by the difference in styles, this is $378 at eLuxury.

What not to wear to the Christmas party

With the Christmas season almost upon us, we're guessing lots of you will be in the market for some formal evening wear to get you through all those parties. And boy, do we have just the gown for you!

Wear this and you won't just look like the fairy on top of the Christmas tree, you'll look like the Christmas tree itself, courtesy of all of that tinsel-like fringing that's going on there. Or like a fairly elaborate lampshade. Either way, you're sure to be the centre of attention - just for all the wrong reasons.

Tempted? It's $538 and you can buy it here.

[Thanks to Fashion Police reader Sarah for the report!]

Dress of the Day: Purple satin topped dress by Betty Jackson Black

This dress may not look like much to write home about in the picture, but we're willing to bet it'll look a whole lot better in person, especially when worn with a pair of high, high heels, and maybe some seamed stockings, to play up that 40s look.

It's the tailored, 40s style shape that attracts us to this, needless to say, although the deep berry colour is also a winner as far as we're concerned, and a great alternative to black.

The satin bodice, meanwhile, gives it a bit of sex appeal, the narrow belt nips in the waist, and as for the pencil skirt... well, we reckon its hard to go wrong with one, really.

This dress is by Betty Jackson Black, and is available at Debenhams, where it's £59. It's totally sold out on line, though, so if you like it, you're going to have to visit the store in person.

Dress of the Day: flapper dress from Miss Selfridge

The Fashion Police are partial to the odd bit of flapper-fashion every now and again. So are Miss Selfridge, apparently, hence the appearance of this sequined flapper dress in their stores and on their website.

At £65, this is a little more expensive than many of the brand's offerings, but hey, if you need an excuse to buy it, Halloween is just around the corner - flapper girl costume, anyone?

Emperor's New Clothes: Stefano Mortari sheer dress

Looks like the Emperor has been "shress" shopping again, folks, and spending £325 on this Stefano Mortari number, by the looks of things.  That's around $530, which, even assuming you bought it to wear over the top of something else, and not to use as part of this "buck nekkid" look, is just... just wow.

We particularly like the way the label stands out like a sore thumb, because, of course, there's nowhere to hide it when you're essentially wearing nothing, is there?

Dress of the Day: Versace one-shoulder pleated dress

Because sometimes you just want something simple, understated and classic. And that costs $3730.

(OK, maybe not that last bit.)

Buy it

Dress of the Day: Jacquard corsage mini prom dress from Warehouse

Ah, the colours, the colours! They're as refreshing as a long cold drink on a hot day, aren't they? They're also a really good way to make your dress stand out from all of the LBDs as the Christmas cocktail party, and that fact alone gets this dress from Warehouse the thumbs-up from us.

Jacquard always strikes us as a very "wintry" fabric, which makes up for the cool blues and greens of this dress, while the corsage detail on the sash dresses it up that little bit more. The thick fabric means you'll also be able to get away with wearing it with opaque tights if you need a little bit of extra warmth...

Dress of the Day: Tory Burch beaded clover print dress

Fashion seems to be going through something of a 60s-inspired stage at the moment, and this is a movement that meets with The Fashion Police's full approval, especially when it means we get to look at lots of lovely little shift dresses.

This one is by Tory Burch, so as you can imagine, it's not the cheapest little shift dress around, at £310. We think it is one of the cutest, though, and we like the clover print pattern. The short length, meanwhile, is offset by the high neck, and will look great on those of you blessed with long legs. Or even on those of us with shorter legs because hell, why not?

Get it at Net-a-Porter.

Peter Jensen's prom dresses for Topshop: what do you think?

You weren't particularly impressed with Peter Jensen's 'Mouse Hat' last week, but that's not the only thing he's been designing for Topshop lately. Jensen has also created this range of distinctive colour-block dresses, and so of course we just had to know what you thought of these, too.

For ourselves, we think we'd need to see someone actually wearing these and looking good in them to be able to overcome our 80s Phobia, and the pictures above also seem to suggest the presence of hips. Given that there are no hips in these dresses, that could be a problem. As we say, though, a picture of someone looking fabulous in one of these could change our minds - we're fickle like that.

What do you think of these?

Dress of the Day: Purple mesh bandeau dress from Dorothy Perkins

This is a very simple little dress, but the rich purple colour, and the fact that you'll be able to dress it up and down so easily makes it nice enough for us to feature it here as Dress of the Day.

First the bad news: for reasons unknown to us, Dorothy Perkins have only released this as part of their petite collection. It's available in UK sizes 4 - 18, but is cut for the short of stature, so if that's not you, then this isn't going to be for you either.

If you love it, however, this will make a great party dress, and as mentioned above, you can easily dress it up with jewellery, a great pair of shoes, and even a waist belt if you want to make it look just a little bit different. It's £35 from Dorothy Perkins.

Dress of the Day: Herve Leger colourblock mini dress

It's a dress designed only for those with supreme confidence in their figures, but hey, if that sounds like you, the Herve Leger bandage dress is a classic and it'll also have a "molding and sculpting" effect, making you look even better.

If we were going to be buying a bandage dress (which we're not, we hasten to add - no one panic), this would probably be the one, because we love the mix of colours used here. Both the price tag ($1250, seeing as you asked) and the nightmares we keep having about what our butts would look like in it will hold us back, of course, but if you want it, this dress is now available to order at Saks.

What does everyone think of the bandage dress? Would you wear one?

Smock Horror! Second smock dress sighting in two days - Fashion Police concerned

D'you hear that? That's the sound of our hearts breaking as we realise that our worst fears are slowly being realised with this, the second sighting of a SMOCK DRESS in just two days. Please, Fashion Designers of the World, we're begging you here: please don't start churning out tents to the exclusion of everything else again. Because they make us look pregnant, and while we're sure that's not the case for everyone who wears them, we really appreciate having a choice in the matter. That totally wasn't the case last time the Smock Dress infiltrated the world of fashion and the style was literally the only thing available, so please: make them if you must, but make other styles too. Please?

If you're jumping with joy at the Return of the Smock, this one is £95 - £95! - and is available from Oli.

Dress of the Day: Heart print belted dress from Oli

The words "heart print" can be a little alarming when used in the same sentence as "dress", conjuring up images of something too twee for words.

Not so with this belted dress from Oli, however: yes, that is heart print, but the hearts are so small they'd be mistaken for a small polka-dot from a distance. Up close, though, they provide a bit of extra interest, although we could argue that this dress doesn't really need it: it had us from the moment we spotted the boat neck (one of our favourite features), and the patent belt finishes things off nicely.

We think this is very chic, and looks like it's just begging to be worn with Jackie O style sunglasses and an up-do. If it meets with your approval too, it's £40 and available from Oli.

Smock Horror! Smock dress spotted at Littlewoods Direct!

OK, have we travelled back in time to 2005 or something?

The smock dress, as longtime readers will know, is one of The Fashion Police's oldest enemies. A couple of years ago, this style was all you could buy. The stores were just full of dresses so shapeless they made even the skinniest of us look six months pregnant, and we're damned if we want to go through that again, which is why when we spotted our nemesis for sale at Littlewoods Direct, we had to instantly put out an APB and hope to God this turns out to be an isolated incident.

What are your thoughts on smock dresses, readers? Do you agree that this is a dangerous criminal, who must be apprehended at all costs, or would you be happy to see these make a comeback?

Dress of the Day: Glamorous tweed dress from Karen Millen

  Given our love for forties-inspired fashion, this Karen Millen dress was always going to end up as a Dress of the Day, so here it is...

"Glamorous" is their word, not ours, but we can't disagree with it, and we love the nipped-in waist and sweetheart neckline, which add a sexy twist to the traditional tweed pencil dress.

Stilettos and seamed stockings will complete the ladylike look, but if you want to accessorize it further, Karen Millen have also created a matching tweed jacket and cape , the latter of which will help you look even more like a silent movie heroine.

This is £160 at Karen Millen.

Dress of the Day: Zac Posen 'Flounce' dress in yellow

We know it's not everyone who can get away with this particular shade of bright yellow, or, indeed, wants to. If you can wear it, though, and you happen to have a spare $1,800 going begging (eeek!), this would be a fantastic dress to twirl around in and watch that skirt fly! Zac Posen has called it the 'Flounce' dress, which we think is a suitably dramatic name for something like this. We just wish it was available in another colour. And for a few hundred dollars less...

Buy it here.

Dress of the Day: Satin folded bow dress from Oasis

If you're going to wear a little black dress with a bow on it, we'd suggest this is a good way to do it.

It's £95 from Oasis, and we just know this is one of those dresses we'd keep for years, if not forever, because let's face it, we all need a little black dress at some point or another, and this one will be able to be worn anywhere you like (or almost anywhere - it probably wouldn't be the best look for a football game, say, or the gym) - just throw on some high heels and you're done.

For some reason, Oasis only like to put tiny images on their website, but if you want to see it in more detail, head over there and use the "zoom" function...

Introducting... The Lovehandle Dress!

We've been noticing a lot of this around lately: it's what we like to call "The Love Handle Dress", although clearly that's something of a misnomer in this particular case, because this Lipsy number isn't cut quite low enough to expose our wobbly bits. The "Ribs and Back Dress" didn't sound as catchy, though...

Now, clearly this kind of dress isn't aimed at The Fashion Police and its officers. It's aimed at those who are younger, braver, and less likely to use the phrase, "ooh, you'll catch your death in that, young lady!" Oh, and who go clubbing, obviously.

Is it just us, then? Is our dislike of the Love Handle Dress purely caused by the fact that we're clearly not part of its target market in any case, or is it, in fact, a crime of fashion? You decide. (And when you do, tell us...)

Dress of the Day: ASOS studded v-back dress

Studs: we have to admit, we like 'em. They look particularly good worn with softer, more "girlie" fabrics, and are an easy way to give a bit of an edge to otherwise plain outfits. So studs in general get the thumbs up from The Fashion Police, but all the same, we weren't 100% sure about this dress when we first saw it. It's not necessarily something we'd wear ourselves, but we think it makes an interesting twist on the all-over sequined dresses we've been seeing for the past couple of winter seasons, and we like it better: it looks futuristic and a bit different, whereas sequins can just look cheap (although not all the time, you understand).

What do you think of it? We have a feeling this one probably won't be to everyone's tastes, but if it's to yours, it's £65 at ASOS.

How not to wear lace...

Last week, when we were discussing the current trend for all things lace, we said that, when it's done right, lace can look fantastic, but when it's done wrong... well, when it's done wrong, you end up with something like this.

This dress was reported to us by a mystery correspondent, who said, "I feel awkward just looking at this dress..."

Yes, us too. But probably not half as awkward as the poor model felt wearing it - we can only imagine the scratchiness of that thing, to say nothing of the, er, see-throughness of it!

Dress of the Day: Nanette Lepore 'Survive' Dress

Nordstrom describe the colour of this dress as "platinum". Nice, isn't it?

The fabric itself is much better viewed in close-up, because this small photo really doesn't do it justice: it's slightly textured looking, and the double belt has two rhinestone-studded fastenings, which are just enough to dress it up a little without being too "blingy". The sweetheart neckline, meanwhile, is demure enough to balance out the short length of the skirt.

We love this colour, but the dress is also available in black if you prefer it. It's by Nanette Lepore and will cost you $395 at Nordstrom.

Dress of the Day: Contrast sleeve dress from Miss Selfridge

Let's be honest: this dress probably isn't going to send you crazy with desire for it, so hopefully you won't be too disappointed when we reveal that it only appears to be available as part of Miss Selfridge's petites collection...

With that said, we're loving the white trim on the sleeves and hem, and we also like the layered hem, which helps dress up an otherwise plain little black dress. It's the kind of thing you'll be able to throw on for just about anything, and sometimes you need that kind of dress as part of your wardrobe - especially when it's only going to cost you £32.

Get it here.

Dress of the Day: Side peplum dress by Alexander McQueen

This dress has grabbed our attention every time we've clicked onto the Net-a-Porter website this week, so we figured it deserved a turn in the Dress of the Day spot.

Although the nude panel in the centre of the bodice is probably designed to look like skin, and create the illusion that you're wearing nothing but the two wide black strips on either side, it doesn't actually look like that if you view it on the model,  leaving you with a simple-but-striking dress, and a wonderful silhouette.

It's £2,670, which is roughly what you'd expect from Alexander McQueen these days, but in its defence, it does look expensive. Is it worth that much? Up to you. If you think it is, you can buy it at Net-a-Porter

Shress Spotting: Jean Paul Gaultier knit dress

The Fashion Police love Jean Paul Gaultier. Seriously - love him. If that's to continue, though, we think we're just going to have to pretend we didn't see this knit "shress" of his, because really, even if the designer didn't intend for this to be worn with nothing but a flesh-coloured thong underneath, we still don't think we'd have much love for it. As it is, all we can think is that hey, Yoox.com really like showing off their model's bare butts, don't they?

Would you wear this, readers? Even with something more, um, substantial underneath it? If so, be ready to hand over £620 for it...

Dress of the Day: ASOS spot print fitted dress

We realise polka dots can be one of those "love 'em or hate 'em" things for some of you, but we're firmly in the "love 'em" camp, and think they can add a cute little retro edge to dresses like this one, which is £35 from ASOS.

The fitted shape is also in its favour: the nipped in waist will help create that hourglass look, with the bow adding emphasis, and the fact that it's a wool mix should also make it reasonably warm, although you'll obviously want to add a cardi or shrug to cover your arms if you're wearing it during the day.

The Bra Dress: giving a whole new meaning to "visible bra straps"

Our thanks to Fashion Police reader Simone, who apprehended this fashion criminal yesterday afternoon and sent it on to us for incarceration.

Now, we have to admit, when we looked at the front of this dress we thought, "A fashion crime, clearly, but at least they've made the 'bra' blend in with the dress." Then we looked at the back.

Oh dear. That's not good, is it? And to think: the opportunity was there for the makers of this dress to just blend the "bra" part in with the rest, making it look like a design feature rather than a skimpy dress slung on over the top of a highly visible bra. But no. They actually wanted to make it look like a skimpy dress slung on over the top of a highly visible bra, and if that meant adding in an ugly hook-and-eye closure on the back, why, they would do it! Because every girl wants to show off the back of her bra like this, clearly.

Then again, we're not really sure what else we could've expected for $9.99...

Dress of the Day: Miu Miu tulle and lamè strapless dress

Let's assume for the moment that we've all just slipped into an alternative universe, in which it suddenly seems reasonable to spend £1,952 on a dress. Look, just work with us here, OK? In that alternative universe, we're thinking this could be a pretty little dress to wear while skipping around, doing all kinds of exciting, alternative universe type things, no? Sure, it looks a little big on this model, but if it was the right size, the nipped in waist, big, swirly skirt and tulle-trimmed bodice could look adorable. £1,952 worth of "adorable". It's a very alternative universe, obviously...

This is by Miu Miu, and you can buy it here.

Dress of the Day: Haute Hippie sequin stripe dress

Can't you just see Serena Van Der Woodsen wearing this dress? We can, and we bet she'd look fantastic in it, too. Us, probably not so much, but then, there's not much call for the wearing of sequined dresses in the course of our police work, so we guess that's not something that's likely to be an issue for us.

If you do have an occasion coming up that just seems to scream out "Sequin-covered dress! Now!" this could be a good choice. Unlike some sequined numbers we could mention, it has a bit of a laid back, rock-chic vibe to it that's perfect for partying in - whether you choose to wear it with the boots or not is, of course, up to you!

Need this in your life? You'll need $625 first, we're afraid, but if you have that, you can buy this at Shopbop.

Style on Trial: Selected Femme leopard print silk maxi dress

We tend to think of maxi dresses as very much a "summer" item, but here we are at the very start of October, and ASOS have just stocked up on this pink, leopard-print maxi dress, presumably so we can all swish through the autumn leaves (and mud, and rain, and slush) in it. Hmmm.

Now, we have to confess that maxi dresses aren't really our thing at any time of year, because as much as we'd like to like them, they just don't suit us, and also make us feel a little like we're starring in a costume drama as The Madwoman In the Attic. Which, OK, is pretty much what this dress makes us think of.

We're clearly biased here, though, which is why we're putting the dress in question up On Trial, to allow you, the Fashion Police Jury, to decide its fate. Is it a crime of fashion? Does it make you think of Victorian nightwear? Or do you actually love it, and think it should be acquitted of all crimes? Cast your vote under the jump!

(Oh, and if you like it, it's £129 at ASOS...)

Dress of the Day: Divine bodice dress by Acquascutum

Once again, it's the colour more than anything else that drew us to this bright green dress by Acquascutum, although the fitted bodice has lots of appeal, too.

We think this is the kind of dress that could adapt to lots of different occasions, and the colour is always going to make it that little bot more interesting than basic black. Is it interesting enough to make us want to pay £795 for it? Er, that would be a "no". A firm one. If you do, though, you can get it at Net-a-Porter.

Want to nominate a Dress of the Day?

Just send us a link to the dress of your dreams along with a short note telling us what it is you like about it. We'll do the rest!

Dress of the day: Bright red dress by Christian Dior

Yes, we know, we know - some of you are going to just hate this with every atom of your being. Why? Well, take a look at the back view, and the great big bow attached to it. Why yes, it does look a little like a gaudily wrapped gift, now you come to mention it...

What the hell, though. It's Friday. It's the end of another long, working week. It's time to crack open the bubbly and celebrate, and what better way to do it than in a bright red, overpriced designer dress with not one but two bows attached to it?

This is by Christian Dior and it's £1655 at