When it comes to style, nothing resonates with the spirit of summer quite like a floaty floral dress. A summer wardrobe staple, the summer dress is the epitome of effortless warm weather dressing — whether it’s a throw-on maxi in crisp white or an easy-breezy smock dress painted with tropical blooms.
This season’s take on the summer dress offers an easy way to elevate your off-duty style, with loose silhouettes and lightweight fabrics proving a prettier, yet still practical, alternative to loungewear.
On the SS20 runway, head-to-toe prints and elongated hems were the new season look to aspire to; from Ulla Johnson’s series of maxi dresses in pastels and flouncy florals to Alberta Ferretti’s bohemian colour spectrum and Noon by Noor’s fresh approach to a white linen dress.
Making a case for pared-back daytime dresses, the catwalk called for cotton-chic styles, seventies mix and match prints and understated romantic frills. Despite a made-for-sunshine approach, each silhouette harnessed the power to drift into nighttime, with Alexander McQueen adding a chunky belt and OTT jewellery for after-dark appeal.
How to wear the trend in real life? Before worldwide lockdown, the street style set put on their prettiest frock and gave us a lesson in laid-back summer dressing. Big bell sleeves, maximalist prints and floor-sweeping hems were spotted time after time — whether worn with embellished sandals, platforms or trainers.
For summertime blooms, consider investing in an Erdem dress and for pattern-pizzazz, opt for Zimmermann. Add a pair of oversized frames and some rope tied sandals and this summer style is good to go — even if it’s just for the garden.
