The One Dress I Packed for Two Weeks in Greece — and Wore Every Other Day

12 juin 2026

Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress — front view showing the V neckline with lace trim, cut-out waistline detail, flowy cotton mix fabric and 137cm midi length perfect for beach and holiday wear

I have a packing philosophy that I've developed over years of travelling and that I defend with some passion: pack less than you think you need, choose pieces that work across multiple contexts, and never check a bag if you can avoid it. Two weeks in Greece, carry-on only, one dress that could do everything from beach to taverna to a long walk through a hilltop village. That was the brief.

My name is Fiona. I'm 41, I live in Edinburgh, and I travel as often as I can manage. Last summer I spent two weeks on a Greek island — Naxos, which I'd been meaning to visit for years — and I packed with my usual ruthless efficiency. The dress I chose was the Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress, which I found on ALTOE about three weeks before I left.

Why Black for a Summer Holiday

People always look slightly surprised when I say I packed a black dress for a Greek island holiday. The assumption is that summer holidays require colour — white linen, bright prints, something that looks like a holiday. But black is the most versatile colour in a travel wardrobe. It goes with everything, it doesn't show marks, it photographs well in any light, and it looks equally appropriate at the beach and at dinner. A black dress that's cut right is the most useful thing you can pack.

The cut on this one is exactly right for heat. The lightweight cotton mix — 65% cotton, 35% polyester — breathes in a way that synthetic fabrics don't, and the flowy fit means air moves around you rather than the fabric clinging. The cut-outs at the waistline and skirt add ventilation as well as visual interest. The V neckline with lace trim is elegant without being formal. The 137cm length means it's a proper midi — long enough to be comfortable walking on uneven surfaces, short enough to not drag on the ground.

Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress — detail of the lace trim V neckline and cut-out waistline showing the bohemian design details that give the dress its beachy effortless aesthetic — The lace trim V neckline and cut-out waistline — the details that make this a dress rather than just a cover-up.

The First Day I Wore It

I wore it on the second day of the trip — a beach morning followed by lunch at a taverna in the village, followed by a long walk up to the kastro in the late afternoon. Three completely different contexts, one dress, no changes. It worked for all of them. At the beach it was light enough to wear over a swimsuit without feeling overdressed. At the taverna it looked like I'd made an effort. On the walk it moved with me without restricting my stride or getting in the way.

The modesty lining was a detail I appreciated more than I'd expected. The cut-outs are generous enough that without lining they'd be impractical in a breeze, but the lining means you can move freely and confidently without any concern about what's visible. That's the kind of thoughtful construction that separates a dress you can actually wear from one that looks good on a hanger and causes problems in real life.

Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress — three-quarter view showing the flowy cotton mix fabric in motion, the cut-out skirt detail and the overall bohemian midi silhouette of the black sun dress — The flowy cotton mix in motion — it moves with you in the heat rather than clinging, which in 35-degree Greek sunshine matters enormously.

Two Weeks of Wearing

I wore it every other day for the full two weeks. Beach days, village days, a boat trip, two evening meals at proper restaurants, a morning at the archaeological museum. It suited all of them. I machine washed it twice during the trip — it dried in about an hour in the Greek heat and came out looking exactly as it went in. No shrinkage, no loss of shape, no fading of the black.

I also wore it on the flight home, which is the ultimate test of a travel dress: can you sit in it for four hours, arrive at an airport, and still look like you haven't been travelling? This one passed. I landed in Edinburgh looking, if not exactly fresh, at least presentable.

Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress — back view showing the full length of the 137cm midi dress and how the flowy fabric falls, demonstrating the elegant silhouette from behind — 137cm of lightweight cotton mix — long enough for comfort on uneven surfaces, short enough to move freely, elegant from every angle.

What It Proved

The right dress for a summer holiday isn't the most colourful one or the most obviously holiday-ish one. It's the one that works across the most contexts, packs and washes easily, and makes you feel good in the heat. This is that dress. I've already worn it since getting home — to a summer party, to a friend's garden lunch — and it works just as well in Scotland as it did in Greece, which is the mark of a genuinely versatile piece.

You can find the Yumi Black Lace Trim Cotton Midi Sun Dress on ALTOE. Browse the full Dresses collection for more options, explore the wider Clothing range, or take a look at the Apparel & Accessories collection. The Latest Products collection always has something new worth discovering.

Pack less. Choose better. Wear it every other day.

— Fiona Castellano, Edinburgh