I am a chronic overpacker. I know this about myself. I've known it for years. Every holiday I tell myself I'll be disciplined, and every holiday I end up with a suitcase that's technically within the weight limit but only because I've sat on it.
Last summer I decided to try something different. Instead of packing eight dresses for a two-week trip to Greece, I would find two or three that could genuinely do the work of eight. Versatile, packable, appropriate for everything from a beach lunch to an evening out. And at least one of them had to be a proper maxi — because Greek evenings call for a maxi dress and I'm not negotiating on that.
What I Was Looking For
The brief was specific: 100% natural fabric (synthetic fabrics and thirty-degree heat are not friends), a print interesting enough to look intentional rather than default, a length that worked for both daytime and evening, and something that wouldn't need ironing after being folded in a suitcase for four hours. The tie-back detail on the Yumi caught my eye immediately — it's the kind of thing that elevates a simple silhouette without requiring accessories to make it work.
Why I Chose This One
When I found the Yumi Green Cotton Abstract Print Maxi Dress With Tie Back, it met every point on the brief. 100% cotton — genuinely breathable in heat. The abstract print in green is bold enough to be interesting but not so loud that it limits what you can wear it with. The 133cm length is a proper maxi, not a midi pretending. And the tie back is a genuinely lovely detail — it adds shape and interest to what would otherwise be a simple silhouette, without requiring a belt or any additional styling.
The machine-washable construction was the final practical tick. Holiday laundry happens. I needed something I could wash in a hotel sink or a holiday apartment machine without worrying about it.
Two Weeks in Greece
I wore it for the first time on day two — a long lunch at a taverna followed by an afternoon wandering around a hilltop village. Thirty-one degrees. The cotton was exactly as breathable as I'd hoped; I was comfortable in a way that my synthetic-blend dresses from previous holidays had never managed. The abstract print attracted two compliments before we'd finished our starters.
I wore it again on day five, day eight, day eleven, and day thirteen. Each time I washed it the night before and it dried overnight without needing ironing — the cotton relaxes back into shape on its own, which is not something every fabric manages. It went to a beach bar, a rooftop restaurant, a boat trip, and a cooking class. It worked for all of them.
The Tie Back in Practice
I want to say something specific about the tie back because it's the detail I get asked about most when I wear this dress. It's not a fussy bow that needs retying every time you sit down. It's a clean, simple tie that sits at the mid-back, creates a gentle definition at the waist, and stays put. It also means the back of the dress is genuinely interesting — which matters when you're sitting at a restaurant table and the back is what everyone behind you sees.
Back Home
I've worn it three times since getting back — once to a summer barbecue, once to an outdoor wedding reception, and once just because it was warm and I wanted to feel like I was still on holiday. It works in an English summer just as well as it did in Greece, which is the mark of a genuinely versatile piece rather than a purely holiday dress.
The Difference It Made
I came home with a suitcase that was genuinely lighter than usual. Not because I packed less — I still packed too much, I'm not a changed person — but because the dresses I did pack worked harder. This one in particular. Five wears in two weeks from a single dress is the kind of return I'd never managed before, and it's made me rethink how I approach packing entirely. Quality over quantity is a cliché because it's true, and this dress is a good example of why.
Who I'd Recommend This To
Anyone planning a warm-weather holiday who wants a dress that genuinely earns its place in the suitcase. Anyone who runs hot and needs natural fabrics. Anyone who wants something that looks considered and put-together without requiring much effort. And anyone who, like me, has been burned by synthetic holiday dresses that look great in the shop and feel like wearing a bin bag in thirty-degree heat.
You can find the Yumi Green Cotton Abstract Print Maxi Dress With Tie Back in our store. It also sits within our Dresses, Clothing, and Apparel & Accessories collections if you'd like to explore more.
Pack less. Choose better. Wear it five times.
— Imogen Ashworth, Oxford
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