Ask Hilary

Hilary Alexander goes on the trail of a beaded dress, shirts for the desert and cut-price elegance at work

Dear Hilary,

	Beaded beauty: Ben de Lisi s/s 2008 collection

I recently spotted a picture of TV presenter Kate Thornton wearing a gorgeous white beaded dress. Do you know who designed it, please? Laura, Middlesex

Dear Laura,

Kate's white silk dress with Swarovski crystal trim is from Ben de Lisi's spring/summer 2008 collection (Elizabeth Street, London SW1; 020 7730 2994). It is available in sizes 8-16 and costs £2,200. There are also versions in grey (pictured right), pink, mint or black priced at £1,600. The white dress costs more because it is double-lined.

Dear Hilary,

I'm going on a trip to the Sinai desert in April and have been advised that long-sleeved cotton shirts with a collar are a must. The problem is that I never wear long-sleeved shirts or even shirts with a collar. I'd like to find a long-sleeved style with roll-up tabs and a Nehru collar, perhaps in soft cotton. And if there is a pair of trousers to match, that would be ideal.

Any advice on cool travel clothing would also be gratefully received. I am size 16, 5ft 4in, squarish in shape and aged 50ish. My budget is not unlimited - under £150 would be good. My nearest towns are Birmingham, Cheltenham and Bristol. Anne, Malvern

Dear Anne,

The mid-price French label Gérard Darel has some excellent separates in its early spring collection, including a white linen Nehru-collared long shirt, with pin-tucked front and roll-up sleeve-tabs for £135. There are two styles of matching drawstring trousers, for £109 and £119; and two casual unstructured jacket options, for £119 and £199, also in white linen, all pieces available in sizes 8-16.

Gérard Darel is stocked at House of Fraser, Birmingham (0121 236 3333) and Fenwick, New Bond Street, London W1 (020 7629 9161). For cool travel clothing, Millets (0800 389 5861), which has shops in the three locations you mention, carries a good selection - including the Equator brand which features dark grey cotton trousers at £29.99 and beige cotton, six-pocket shorts at £19.99.

Dear Hilary,

I have been trying to find a really well-cut black skirt suit for work. I was watching the BBC drama Mistresses last week and Siobhan, played by Orla Brady, was wearing a style that looked great. I imagine it was expensive, but do you know where I could get a similar, cheaper version? Sarah, Guildford

Dear Sarah,

You are right: the suits worn in Mistresses are very expensive - by Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, no less, which would leave you very little change from £700. A more accessible source for the working wardrobe is MaxMara (Old Bond Street, W1, 020 7499 7902), an Italian label renowned for its crisp and feminine tailoring.

Styles currently in stock include a single-breasted, two-pocket, waist-length belted jacket and matching, knee-length pencil skirt in a black wool/crêpe mix. An alternative, in lightweight black crêpe, is a fitted, belted, thigh-length jacket, which comes with a mid-knee-length slim skirt. More styles will be arriving in spring. Prices start from £490, and the size range is 4-16.

• Write to Hilary Alexander, The Daily Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, or email askhilary@telegraph.co.uk and include your nearest town or city. Questions cannot be answered personally