A woman who sets out to buy a linen shirt dress usually wants one garment that does the work of several: something she can wear to lunch, on a boat, through an airport and to dinner, without a change. At Pieter Petros that garment is the Amelia linen dress shirt. It is built like a shirt, with a collar and a buttoned front, and worn as a dress, which makes it one of the most versatile pieces in the women's collection for warm-weather travel.

Before buying, four things are worth checking in any garment of this kind: the cloth, the length, the buttons and the range of colour. Each one decides how the piece will feel on the third day of a holiday rather than the first, and each is answered in a specific way by the Amelia linen dress shirt. The full collection can be seen on the women's linen collection, where every colourway and size is listed.

The cloth comes first. Linen is the right fibre for a garment worn this way because it stays cool against the skin and lets air move freely, and because it softens with wear. The Amelia linen dress shirt is made in two kinds of linen. Five colourways, Coral Orange, Violet, Hibiscus, Oyster and Dubarry, are certified Belgian linen, from flax followed by the certificate from field to fabric. Three colourways, Lemon, Pink and Blue, are natural linen. The difference between the two is explained in natural linen versus Belgian linen; both are pure linen and both are handmade into the finished garment.

Length shapes everything else. It is thigh length, so it reads as a dress on its own, with sandals by day or heels at night, and it also pairs comfortably with trousers when the occasion or the wind calls for more cover. In places that expect the knee to be covered, such as churches, mosques or traditional villages, a different garment is the better choice, and the PP linen blouse versus the Amelia linen dress shirt explains when each one fits.

Buttons are the detail that separates a crafted piece from an ordinary one. Seven of the eight colourways close with natural seashell buttons, each slightly different in tone. The Oyster closes with walnut buttons, warmer in colour and matte in finish, a natural fit for evenings and for a quieter look. In every case the buttons run the full length of the front, so the garment can be worn closed, opened at the neck, or open at the hem for an easier stride.

The eight colourways cover most settings a warm-weather wardrobe needs. Blue and Oyster are the calm, versatile pair, at home from a city lunch to a sailing day. Lemon and Pink bring light to a beach or a garden. Dubarry, Coral Orange, Hibiscus and Violet are the evening colours, rich enough for a terrace dinner or a celebration. Some of the deeper colours sell out between restocks, so it is worth checking the collection page for current availability. Sizes run from XXS to 3XL.

Many women like to see and feel the cloth before buying. The PP collection is presented in the boutiques of One&Only Aesthesis near Athens, One&Only Kéa Island, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Puerto Rico, Park Hyatt Dubai and its Lagoon Beach Club, Surf Club Dubai, Sofitel The Palm Beach Resort and Tiziano Brunetto in Santa Margherita Ligure, near Portofino. For styling ideas once it arrives, the Amelia linen dress shirt guide covers the garment from every angle.

Discover the full range on the women's linen collection. An Amelia linen dress shirt chosen in the right colour for its setting is the one garment in the bag that is worn every day of the trip, from the first lunch to the last dinner.

Read more: How to Style the Amelia Linen Dress Shirt  ·  What to Wear in Mykonos for Women