Formal attire is hard to come by

At the moment, most dresses from the high-street fall into one of just two categories: going out (i.e. partying, which supposedly calls for dresses that offer about as much coverage as a medium sized bath towel), or day wear (read: summery numbers, such as flowing maxi dresses, complete with halter-necks and florals).

Evidently, neither of these dress types will satisfy the brief. I imagine that things will get easier