There’s a type of woman Samantha Jones always was in Sex and the City. Polished, yes, but not performing polish for anyone else’s benefit. She dressed for herself, which sounds simple until you realize how few people actually do that. The plunging neckline, the open back, the silhouette hugging. It just looks so effortless. That’s the Samantha Jones effect I’ve always wanted to try and recreate. And it’s the reason I bought the Kookai Bianca Maxi Dress.
What the Samantha Jones effect actually means in 2026?
I’m definitely noticing a shift in 2026, and I don’t think it’s just me encroaching on 30. More women are stepping out unapologetically. Dressing sexy because it feels good to them, not because they’re waiting for a reaction. Samantha was doing that years ago.
What Samantha understood, and what dressing to impress can get wrong, is that confidence isn’t the side effect of looking good. It’s the point. She was a power dresser who subverted what power dressing was supposed to mean: sharp where it counted, sensual where she wanted it to be, and completely uninterested in whether anyone approved of the combination.
The silhouettes she reached for, body hugging cuts, plunging necklines, bare backs, those weren’t risks. They were just choices, made easily, by a woman who simply dressed for herself each day.
That’s what I wanted to find in a dress.
The Kookai Bianca Maxi Dress: first impressions.
I put the Bianca on in my living room. Messy hair, feeling a little scruffy, probably not the best moment to try on a dress where you’re looking to feel hot but I’m impatient and will always try any parcels on immediately. Ten seconds in I was sold. It was a yes before I’d even looked properly. It didn’t matter what else was going on because the dress immediately told me how it was going to make me feel.
It also holds up when you’re actually wearing it out. I loved the way it flowed when I sat down and the dress looked exactly the same when I stood up. And for what it’s worth, it got compliments. Not that I needed that confirmed. But it’s a nice validation point.
On price: the quality is good, not exceptional. I’d buy it again but I’d wait for a sale.
How I styled it?
Honestly, I didn’t do much styling. I went minimal, mostly because my jewellery situation is still something I’m figuring out. Earrings, my name necklace, a bracelet. But here’s the thing: it didn’t matter. The dress didn’t need more. I’m not sure more would have added anything. My instinct is that too much jewellery would pull attention away from what the dress is already doing, but I went minimal out of necessity and it worked anyway. Make of that what you will.
I also kept my shoe option simple and comfortable, the same flip flop heels from my 5 It Girl summer 2026 Trends round up and the same style that show up in how I’m styling Capris this year. The dress is long enough that they don’t show until you move.
The verdict: what the Bianca maxi dress is for?
The Bianca does most of the work for you. I put it on with almost nothing extra and felt completely pulled together for a formal event. That’s not a given in a dress that looks like this. Often black dresses can fall flat and need more styling. Other silhouettes this confident require more effort around them, more styling, more commitment to the whole thing. This one doesn’t.
Something I love is that the dress doesn’t feel like it’s performing for anyone other than you. It’s not the version of a sexy dress that’s waiting for someone to notice. I put it on and instantly felt like I was having my first Samantha Jones moment. Confident, not overthinking how I showed up.
The dress is beautiful but I think it is worth waiting on sales periods to buy it.
