ONCE upon a time, the high street was a frightening place where it was very, very easy to go very, very wrong, especially when it came to dressing like a fairytale princess in sparkly bits and pieces. For, generally, these were so reminiscent of cut-price tinsel that one ran the grave risk of looking like an Argos advert and living unhappily ever after with the consequences of making a prize twit of oneself at the office party.

Happily, the high street has become a blessed land where the good fairies, Sparkle and Shine, are manufactured so well that in some cases it really is pointless paying designer prices for them, because sequins and lamé are too memorable to bear repeated wearing. What one needs here is affordable disposability.

That’s the good news. However, I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit sparkled out. It’s fine to have a few twinkly pieces on hand for emergencies, but unless you’re Tinkerbell or Kate Thornton, opportunities for wearing them are few. A far more useful and desirable party outfit is the Biba-esque dress. Note that I didn’t say wrap dress, which is dandy as far as it goes, but we’ve seen it endlessly and it’s time to try something new.

The Biba-esque dress has come full circle from being a rather frumpy Oxfam find worn by elderly violin teachers to something cool and slightly louche. It is often patterned; empire line (good for big or non-existent bosoms), flares out from a high waist and drapes nicely over the tummy. It may have a notch or square neckline (good for swan and Stallone-like necks) and covers not just knees but arms (with cap or long puff sleeves). All that, and it manages to be demure (Slut Chic is so over) but sexy in a boho way.

You can find them in abundance at Topshop, where they come in plain brights and patterns, silk, chiffon, jersey and velvet. If you can’t face Topshop’s scrum, teenagers and unforgiving jersey, another good source is Issa (Harrods, 020-7730 1234, and Liberty, 020-7734 1234), a label that has been steadily creeping into the wardrobes of fashion editors. These are more expensive, but the patterns and fabrics make them investment pieces.

Another excellent source of non-sparkly but glamorous dresses is Lucia Silver’s L Boutique (020-7243 9190), in Notting Hill, which has lovely bias-cut silk-satin dresses reminiscent of the slinky gowns worn in The Aviator, Martin Scorsese’s new biopic of Howard Hughes, which is bound to have a big impact on fashion. L Boutique’s dresses can be ordered in scores of colours. They come with a choice of neckline and sleeve options, and can be customised with the co-ordinating corsages, jewellery and hair accessories that Silver also designs. These dresses aren’t especially cheap, at a starting price of £325, but nor are they outrageous; and since you can add and subtract detachable accessories, they’re extremely versatile.

Actually you may be surprised by the versatility of any non-twinkly dress you buy this winter. Slip into one to go to dinner, drinks, work, Christmas lunches. Wear it with boots and a floppy felt hat, heels, ropes of pearls or coloured stones, a long scarf, coloured tights, a cropped jacket or shrunken cardigan — and look just right every time.

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