Dress shop welcomes a quiet, old female writer (6)
I believe the answer is:
sappho
'old female writer' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'dress shop welcomes a quiet' is the wordplay.
'dress' indicates an anagram.
'welcomes' indicates putting letters inside (in sense of 'invites in').
'a quiet' becomes 'ap' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'shop' is an anagram of 'spho'.
'spho' enclosing 'ap' is 'SAPPHO'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sappho that I've seen before include "Greek poetess; has pop (anag.)" , "Greek lyric poetess" , "Pa hops around the ancient Greek poetess" , "Greek lyric poet of Lesbos" , "Sixth century BC Greek poetess" .)