The dress that thinks it's a skirt and a top

When it comes to multi-functional fashion, doubling up my beach sarong as an evening top is as far as I've got.
But now Wolford has created the Fatal dress - a seamless tube of stretchy fabric also designed to be worn in multiple ways - and at £89, it's much more of a bargain.

So would it give me the sculpted curves of model Giselle or cling mockingly to every lump and bump?
Made of 93 per cent nylon and 7 per cent elastane, the Fatal comes in extra small, small and medium sizes (and 12 different colours), and, surprisingly for such a delicate fabric, is machine washable.
It can be worn as a long dress, short dress, pencil or mini skirt, top or wide belt. It sounds like the ultimate investment - several outfits for the price of one - and a dream solution for a holiday suitcase.
I feel suitably excited - until the Fatal arrives. It's a minuscule square of wafer-thin material which unfurls to reveal what looks like an overgrown elastic boob tube.
It barely looks big enough to wear as a scarf, let alone cover my size ten frame. Quite frankly, it doesn't look like it's going to do my summer-pudding tummy any favours.
There's a style guide included in the box. First, I go for the full-length maxi-dress.
The lack of seams causes initial confusion about which way round it goes before I locate a tiny label that indicates which end is the top.
Stepping into the tube, I wriggle it up to my shoulders.

Worn this way, without folding it over, the dress borders on see-through and feels too flimsy to hold in my curves. It shows up everything and feels cheap - more Blackpool than Barbados. It's skin-tight, hard to walk in and I simply don't feel comfortable.
But the beauty of the Fatal is if you don't like it, you change it. So I swiftly move on to folding the material up to make a knee-length dress - and voila!
Yes it's still tight, but as I double the fabric over it suddenly seems to have a miraculous Spanx-like effect and works like a tummy control panel. I'm astonished. My midriff has suddenly flattened and everything appears more toned.
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I feel like I've been lipo-ed, or at least that I've stuck to my bikini diet. Folding it over again from the top creates a chic pencil skirt that makes my bum look pert.
It looks great with a T-shirt and heels. The results are getting better and better. Rather than creasing as you fold it over, the fabric lies smoother, and instead of adding bulk it shaves off inches.
The secret is the more you fold, the better the body-sculpting effect, and it's all about finding the fold that best flatters your shape.

I try it out doubled up as a strapless top, then as a longer length top, which gives a fantastic corset-effect on my waist. It also works well as a super-comfortable tummy-controlling tube-dress worn over leggings and even as a waist-cinching belt.
Depending on your figure - and your daring - there really are endless possibilities on how you wear it. That's my holiday packing sorted.