The Most Wanted · Summer Dresses
The Only Summer Dresses You Need
Every dress worth wanting this season, from the white eyelet to the occasion silk.
Every dress worth wanting this season, from the white eyelet to the occasion silk.
There is no item that works harder in summer than the dress. When the temperature climbs and the thought of assembling an outfit feels like too much, it is the dress you reach for — a single, effortless piece that looks pulled together the moment you slip it on. And this year, the offering is especially good. After several seasons of strict minimalism, fashion has softened again: think romantic broderie and cutwork, delicate lace trims, strategic smocking, and a palette that runs from crisp whites to joyful, saturated silks.
What unites the season's best dresses is ease. These are styles that carry you from a morning at the market to dinner by the water without a second thought, that pack flat for a holiday and photograph beautifully against whitewashed walls. Below, we have organised them the way you actually shop — the crisp white eyelet, the romantic lace-trim slip, the wear-everywhere midi, the printed resort dress, and the fluid silk occasion gown. Consider this your edit of the only summer dresses you actually need — the ones the fashion set is quietly buying before they sell out.
Every piece in the edit — tap to shop the whole look.
The white dress is summer's eternal essential, and this year it comes rendered in the prettiest broderie anglaise and eyelet. After seasons of minimalism, fashion wants a little romance again — cutwork, scalloped edges, and airy cotton voile that catches the light. Dôen leads with its lace-trimmed voile, while Matteau, Sea and Toteme offer the clean, crisp versions that read instantly expensive. Nothing says summer quite like a beautiful white dress, and nothing is easier to wear.
The lace-trim dress is having its biggest moment yet, the delicate detail that turns a simple slip into something special. Layered over jeans or worn alone with a flat, it is the fashion set's favourite way to soften an outfit this summer. Posse leads with its gingham and cotton takes, while Borgo de Nor and Dôen bring the romantic, vintage-inspired versions. It is lingerie-inspired dressing at its most wearable — pretty, easy, and quietly seductive.
This is the dress you reach for without thinking — the day-to-night midi that works for the office, the market, and dinner alike. The appeal is effortlessness: a beautiful cut in linen, ramie or poplin that needs nothing but a sandal to feel complete. Dôen's tiered Benoit, Gabriela Hearst's linen Magritte and Róhe's clean midi lead the way, joined by Matteau's endlessly wearable shapes. It is the hardest-working dress in the wardrobe, and the one you will live in all summer.
The resort dress is built for the best week of the year — printed, breezy, and made for packing. Whether in embroidered cotton or knotted linen, these are the dresses that photograph beautifully against blue water and whitewashed walls. Cala de la Cruz, Alémais and Emporio Sirenuse lead with their vacation-ready prints, while Matteau and SIR. keep it elegantly pared-back. It is the dress that makes the holiday, and the one people will stop you to ask about.
For the summer wedding, the gala, the dinner that calls for something more — the occasion dress delivers. This season it comes in fluid silk and poplin halternecks, the neckline of the moment, in colours that feel joyful rather than staid. Pucci's printed silk and Toteme's scarf-detailed midi lead the charge, while Bernadette brings the full romantic drama. It is the black-tie alternative the fashion set is reaching for — elegant, a little bold, and never boring.
Every piece in this edit, by the houses behind it. Explore them all.
One perfect dress, and summer takes care of itself.— ESVRA