The Beige Gingham Gili Dress has become one of our most-reached-for styles. It's a cotton maxi that works just as well for a beach vacation as it does for an afternoon in the city. Here's how it almost didn't make it into the collection at all.
The Beige Check That Nearly Made It
The Beige Check Gili Dress almost didn't happen. When I was finalizing fabrics for our Summer 2024 shoot, this gingham was a last-minute addition. I loved how soft and neutral it felt, but it nearly didn’t make it into the final lineup.
Looking back now, it's hard to imagine the collection without it.
One of my favorite photos from that shoot still captures the dress exactly as I pictured it: effortless, timeless, and easy to wear anywhere. The neutral beige gingham is one of those prints that works as a resort wear piece or a summer maxi dress, classic and relaxed in a way that holds up season after season.
How Natalie Simkins Made the Beige Gingham Gili Dress Sell Out
Early on, we sent a few Gili Dresses to creators whose style we loved. One of the first to share the Beige Check was Natalie Simkins.
Not long after her post went up, something unusual happened.
I was in Watch Hill, Rhode Island at the time with spotty service when I started seeing order notifications come through one after another. Within a short window, about thirty orders had come in for the same dress.
At first I assumed there had to be some sort of Shopify glitch. Up until then, we had not experienced that kind of sudden demand for a single style. It turned out the Beige Check Gili Dress had simply found its audience.
How to Style the Beige Gingham Gili Dress
After that first moment, the Beige Check Gili Dress kept appearing on women whose style we admire, including Mally Goldman, Stephanie Covington, Rainey Lancaster and Mary Glenn McElveen, just to name a few.
Seeing the dress styled in so many different ways has been one of the most rewarding parts of the process. As a beach vacation dress, a gingham dress outfit for brunch, or a coastal dinner look, each person brings their own perspective to it, which is exactly how the Gili Dress was designed to be worn.