A Guide To Finding The Ultimate Summer Dress

Year on year, when the weather heats up, we want our wardrobe to hold an arsenal of great dresses. Luckily for us, this year we’re spoiled for choice. Whether you like the sound of the prairie trend, all high necks and frilled hems, or you prefer to keep things minimalist, there’s a dress out there for every style.

From if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it florals to work-appropriate pieces for when we return to the office or zoom calls at home, click through to find the best dresses this season has to offer.

An obvious one, sure, but summer isn’t summer without a sea of bright botanic prints. On the catwalks of SS18, Brock Collection offered romantic puffed-sleeve white dresses with sprays of flowers, Christopher Kane spliced two clashing floral prints on one sleeveless slip, and Erdem brought prim and proper florals to his typically quaint aesthetic.

Rixo has some of the best vintage-inspired prints around, while & Other Stories and H&M are bringing fresh florals to the high street. We’re wearing ours with sandals now, and over turtlenecks come winter.

**Topshop** Pink Sleeve Puff Dress, £30, available at Topshop

**Topshop** Pink Puff Sleeve Midi Dress, $, available at Topshop

**Finery** Challis Wild Flora Print Ankle-Length Dress, £169, available at Finery

**& Other Stories** Peony Print Dress, £69, available at & Other Stories

**H&M** Patterned dress, £49.99, available at H&M

If you want to avoid the hyper femininity of florals, a shirt dress is the perfect choice. Thanks to the likes of Staud, Carolina Herrera and Eudon Choi, interesting buttons and statement placing has taken centre stage, elevating the shirt dress further.

We’re going for COS’ powder blue showstopper, crisp white classics like Cecilie Bahnsen’s midi, and taking elements of the shirt – like the collar and pleating – and combining them with more relaxed styles à la Arket and RAEY.

**Nanushka** Shortsleeved Wrap Dress With Buttons, £265, available at Browns

**Arket** Checked Wrap Dress, £79, available at Arket

**Cecilie Bahnsen** Cleo Oversized Ruffled Cotton Maxi Dress, £900, available at Net-A-Porter

**RAEY** Zip-Front Speckle-Crepe Dress, £495, available at Matches Fashion

**COS** Short-Sleeved Gathered Dress, £79, available at COS

Unfortunately for the more low-key among us, summer dressing is usually synonymous with in-your-face prints and extra finishes like ruffles. Never fear – this season there’s plenty for us too, by way of sleek cuts and muted palettes.

From COS to Arket, the high street is awash with smart sartorial simplicity. Look for sleek and sporty midi dresses, or exposed stitching at Urban Outfitters and Rosetta Getty. Team with your Birkenstocks and you have summer in the city down pat.

**Lars Labels** Organic Cotton Stripe Wrap Dress, £120, available at Lars Labels

**Lars Labels** Organic Cotton Stripe Wrap Dress, $, available at Lars Labels

**Arket** Satin Halter-Neck Dress, £79, available at Arket

**Rosetta Getty** Draped Stretch-Crepe Midi Dress, £760, available at Net-A-Porter

**Reformation** Finley Dress, £95.46, available at Reformation

**Urban Outfitters** Melbourne Contrast Stitch Button-Through Mini Dress, £46, available at Urban Outfitters

**Topshop** Drape Side Midi Shift Dress, £25, Topshop

If you’re looking for some romance in your summer attire, ruffles are guaranteed to bring the drama. From frilled hems to cascading or layered, they can be worked any which way. Best in fluid fabrics like silk and heavier materials like cotton, you can go as bold or simple with prints as you like.

Kitri has a number of fantastic ruffled dresses, including in polka dots and buttercup yellow, while Whistles’ wrap number will look as good at a summer wedding as on the beach.

**LoveShackFancy** Maeve Ruffled Floral-Print Silk-Georgette Dress, £380, available at Net-A-Porter

**Kitri** Ailen Polka Dot Frill Dress, £125, available at Kitri

**Athena Procopiou** In The Morning Tiered Dress, £650, available at Matches Fashion

**Whistles** Spot Maxi Dress, £159, available at Whistles

**Staud** Valentina Ruffled Stretch-Cotton Dress, £250, available at Selfridges

Nailing summer workwear can prove tricky – the combination of sweaty Tube, air con wars with your colleagues, and maintaining some level of professionalism does not a simple outfit make. But there are brands making keep-cool boardroom-appropriate pieces.

Kitri, Finery and Arket are our high street go-tos for more formal (yet directional) dresses in lightweight fabrics. Workwear needn’t mean boring, and small details like belt bags and puffed sleeves make your 9-5 wardrobe just as summery as your weekend one.

**Arket** Cotton Twill Panel Dress, £99, available at Arket

**Kitri** Alana Belted Shirt Dress, £125, available at Kitri

**Uterqüe** Tunic With Two-Tone Belt, £120, available at Uterqüe

**Finery** Haldane Black and Ivory Polka Dot Dress, £119, available at Finery

**Warehouse** Linen Button Through Dress, £42, available at Warehouse

Thanks to Beyoncé’s yellow dress in Lemonade, we’ve seen plenty of block-coloured dresses in an array of vibrant hues, from fuchsia to sunset orange. Phillip Lim, Sies Marjan and Agnona displayed paintbox tones at SS18, and now the high street has all the summer brights you could want.

Pay homage to Bey in Ganni’s ruffled wrap dress or Zara’s more formal belted number. We’re head over heels for COS’ watermelon number, all pleated and ballooned, while Warehouse’s electric pink asymmetric dress is also a winner.

**Zara** Midi Dress With Belt, £39.99, available at Zara

**& Other Stories** Silk Dress, £110, available at & Other Stories

**Ganni** Wilkie Striped Silk And Cotton-Blend Seersucker Wrap Dress, £535, available at Net-A-Porter

**Warehouse** Asymmetric Wrap Midi Dress, £45, available at Warehouse

**COS** Sleeveless Balloon Dress, £79, available at COS

It could be the Westworld effect, or it could be a backlash against the Kardashian-style sexiness and Gucci maximalism that’s reigned over the past several years. Either way, we’re seeing more and more prairie dresses from brands taking a leaf out of Laura Ashley’s archive.

From Alexachung’s Picnic on Hanging Rock-esque white ruffled collared dress to Ganni’s Little House on the Prairie piece, there’s plenty to choose from. Whether you dial the trend all the way up with Batsheva’s offering, or dip your toe with Topshop’s cornflower blue number, it’ll work all year round, with chunky trainers now and cowboy boots in autumn.