A Summer wardrobe is simply not complete without a few dresses in your arsenal. And by a few I mean one for the beach/pool, a day dress and an evening dress. Of course if you’re really cunning you can whittle it down to one or two by choosing wisely. The right day dress can be transformed into an evening dress or dressed down for the beach depending on footwear, jewellery, makeup etc.

As I get older (sob!) I’m definitely finding I am more drawn to dresses, partly because shorts (away from the beach or pool) become a big question mark at my age and partly because they just make dressing so easy. There is definitely something romantic about walking through a foreign city with a straw basket in hand and a beautiful dress swirling around your legs!

Here’s my current pick (click on image for link):

Under £200

I’m currently on the lookout for all things red as I think it’s such a beautiful colour with a tan. This JCrew dress is definitely one that can be worn throughout the day & into evening. I also love the Coast white lace dress for the same reason and will certainly be trying this on. Slightly off-tangent, but I’ve also fallen for this amazing skirt from Coast:

I wouldn’t pair it with a black top though as I feel it dulls it down. I would go for a cream/white (here or here), pink (here or here), blue (here) or green (here or here) top to give it more of a Summery lift.

Under £400

The first dress by Rhode Resort I’ve bought from Matches Fashion and I’m totally in love. This is a label worth watching – I adore the shape of this dress which is extremely flattering for most body types and they have some interesting prints. (A lot of these are currently sold out at Matches but just add them to your whishlist as I’m sure they’ll get more in stock). I am also salivating over this pink floral dress from Needle & Thread which is not unlike this amazing dress I bought on The Outnet recently by Alexis.

(Sadly it sold out really quickly but there are a couple of skirts left in the same colour here.)

The other maxidress next to it in the garden print is another showstopper. These are the kinds of pieces worth investing in as they have the potential to be in your wardrobe for a long time because they’re so unique.

Under £600

I’m proud to confess that I have some dresses in my wardrobe that are over 10+ years old that I still wear. For this reason I choose very carefully when I buy something a bit more expensive – I now ask myself “Will I be able to wear this in 3 to 5 years time?” If the answer’s “no” I’ll try and look for a cheaper version of it elsewhere.

Nearly all the pieces in the more expensive bracket will go on my wishlists in the hope that a few might reach the sales but the one that I’m really in love with is the pink/coral floral maxi dress by DVF. (To appreciate it more you need to see it in motion here!). It’s so beautiful and elegant, and definitely something that I could wear for many years to come.

If money were no object I would look to Temperley London, Gul Hurgel & Dolce & Gabbana for a dress, as they always have the ultimate Summer pieces.

In nearly all my fashion posts I mention The Outnet, as I pick up most of my treasures on here for 50-70% off. I recently bought this Dolce & Gabbana beauty for half price so it’s worth keeping an eye out! Understandsbly items like this sell out really quickly (I also really like this one).

Being a print-lover I have dreamt of owning a Dolce & Gabbana dress for many years, so this was a real find. I love the signature Italian colours, shape and style and hope to get lots of wear out of it.

The things that I look out for when dress shopping (particularly in the Summer) are: comfort, shape, print and colour. If a dress is not comfortable, no matter how much you love it, you will probably only wear it once. Buy a colour that suits your skin tone both with a tan and without. Get to know a good tailor (if you’re not a natural seamstress) as it’s important for  dresses to fit exacttly – an ill-fitting dress can make you look bigger than you are. And lastly buy a dress that makes you feel amazing!

x