I wore a sage dress to a late spring lunch two years ago expecting it to look a bit washed out against my skin, and instead it did the thing good neutrals do, made everything else I had on look more expensive than it was. Plain gold hoops, tan sandals, nothing fussy, and the colour did all the talking. That's when sage stopped being a colour I avoided because it sounded like it belonged on a paint chart and started being one I actually reached for.
If you've got none, start with something in a soft jersey or cotton rather than linen, a simple midi shape with no fuss at the neckline. Linen sage is gorgeous but it creases if you look at it wrong, and on a first try you want something forgiving that you can wear to three different things in a week without ironing it between each one. A slightly dusty, muted sage rather than anything bright or minty tends to suit more skin tones too, it reads as neutral rather than as a statement green.
As for how it holds up, sage is one of those colours that's kind to cheaper fabric because it's already muted, so even if the dye isn't brilliant it fades gently rather than going patchy and odd like some brighter greens do. Cotton versions soften nicely with washing and still look decent after a summer of regular wear. I'd keep it out of a hot wash and away from direct sun drying though, that's where the colour can shift and go a bit grey rather than staying sage. A cool wash, inside out, dried flat or on a low line, and mine still looked right at the end of the season rather than tired.
Where it really pays off is how little it asks of the rest of what you own. Sage sits next to navy, cream, brown and most denim without an argument, and it does the transitional months better than most colours because it reads as autumnal in a thick knit and jumper over the top, but equally fresh with bare legs and sandals in June. I've worn the same dress with a chunky cardigan in October and with nothing but a tan belt in July and never once felt like I'd got it wrong for the weather.
It suits anyone who likes colour but wants it to behave itself rather than shout.
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