Constancy is not a trait common to fashionable women. We delight in flitting from one designer to another, from ready to wear to vintage, and from one overflowing wardrobe to the next. It is therefore almost a travesty to ask a girl to choose one designer that she would want to wear for the rest of her life. Call us floozies, but we like choice, such as the plethora of design talent on offer at The Outnet. With such an extensive range at our fingertips, it’s a sheer delight to flick through the endless list of enlightened creators whose pieces can be intelligently woven together; as if the designers were somehow in collusion when they dreamed up their separate garments on lonely sketchpads.

Partners for life? Oscar de la Renta's glorious gown from The Outnet

And yet, at some point, a girl must settle down. And this weighty decision must be approached in the same way one would approach choosing a life partner. Of course one must dabble with various types, until finding ‘The One’. French, Italian, American, British? After meeting them, holding them, and waking up beside a few different versions, you will know which one is for you.

The love of my life will always be Oscar de la Renta. Like any good partner, de la Renta’s garments bring out the positive qualities of a woman. In fact the Dominican Republic born designer has a way with fabric that makes the female form better than it actually is.

Take the silk satin prom dress currently available at The Outnet. At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a flight of fancy. A silly little dress that belongs in meadows or on hillsides; how can such frippery accompany the modern woman throughout her life, when she must deal with the stresses of the tube, children, and city pollution?

Look a little closer. Look at the classic cut, the structural shape; a fabulous contrast between delicate décolletage and feminine curves. The perfect balance of sensitivity and strength. Observe the versatility of colour: a neutral shade that when paired with pastels will sit right on trend, but that when combined with classic black and squarely cut diamonds will exude art-deco allure. The attention to detail to be found in de la Renta’s garments is also exquisite. This is not the type of dress to forget your anniversary. With a minute pearlescent button, an elegant keyhole detail and a delicately different pink lining, the designer has thought out this piece to the very last stitch.

It is also perfectly possible to wear this dress to a picnic or a premiere. When paired with these Lanvin satin crystal embellished pumps, a chic clutch such as this one by Celestina, and a sleek tailored jacket like L’Wren Scott’s  bustle jacket, you will be set for any elegant event. But try combining it with Alaïa chanvre couture canvas flats and a Marc Jacobs Penn leather tote, and you will be just as ready for a stylish shopping trip. It is in fact, the perfect companion.

Each time I see a de la Renta dress, I cast my mind back to that magnificent Sex and the City episode where Carrie is given a delicious pink cocktail gown by ‘The Russian’. As she unfolds the wispy tissue paper that caresses its weighty folds of raspberry charm, her very skin is set alight with a glow from the fabric. It may well have been bought for her to wear to the opera, but upon finding herself in McDonalds, the dress appears equally at home. And it is this nonchalant adaptability; this laid back glamour that few other designers manage to capture as well as de la Renta. He somehow manages to sew the very essence of womanly confidence, demure elegance and true, female innate beauty, into every hem that skips off his runways and into the real lives of real women all around the world.

So the next time that you’re browsing through The Outnet’s pages, why not look at the clothes a little differently? Sure, for most of us it’s not financially viable to make a date with a different dress every Friday night, but why not save some pennies and look at it as meeting that special someone? Or, why not register for The Outnet’s 1st Birthday Party, where you could bag the designer of your dreams for a mere £1! For one day only on April 16th the site will host a pop-up sale where all items will be available at the giveaway price of $1/£1/€1. Thousands of products will available for this frankly ridiculous price including ready to wear, bags, shoes and accessories.

But as with all of the best parties, you do need to RSVP; you can gain entry by registering on The Outnet until April 11th. This sale has probably already knocked your very fashionable socks off, however one lucky lady (cue serious amounts of finger crossing) will be chosen at random to preview and shop the sale before the rush ensues. Plus they’ll be ably assisted by a stylist from The Outnet to choose a five-piece outfit for the eye-popping sum of $5/£5/€5!