Housekeeping Dresses and Skirts

When a dress beats a tunic and trousers

One piece means one garment to issue, launder and replace, and nothing to separate in the wash. It is also the fastest garment in the range to issue to a new starter: one size decision, one hanger. For properties with high laundry volumes and stable teams, that simplicity is worth a great deal. The dress also reads as the most formal of the housekeeping options, which is why so many full-service hotels keep it as the department standard while offering a tunic set as the alternative.

What our housekeeping dress includes

The block is cut for the job, not adapted from retail: an underarm gusset or action pleat so the hem stays down on a high reach, a back walking vent for kneeling work, and two hip pockets sized and bar-tacked for phones and keys. The front closes with a concealed zip, a button placket or press studs — stated on the sealed sample so re-orders repeat it exactly. Sleeves run short, three-quarter or long, and a contrast collar or piping brings the garment in line with the property’s brand colour.

Skirt and top combinations

Where a two-piece is preferred to a dress, we cut a straight or A-line skirt with a back vent and working side pockets, worn with a matching top from the same fabric lot. This suits departments that want the look of a dress with the flexibility of separates — and it lets a property replace a worn skirt without retiring the top, which matters when laundry volumes are high.

Getting the fit right

Dresses and skirts are graded on a dedicated women’s block from XS to 5XL, not scaled from the unisex tunic block — the proportions are different and the fit shows it. Every style ships with a 4 cm hem allowance so length is set locally per wearer, and the size chart is set from washed measurements taken after the laundry test, as described under pattern making. If your team has fed back on a previous supplier’s fit, send that feedback with the enquiry; it is the most useful thing you can give the pattern room.