We Just Found 11 Affordable Dress-and-Sandal Outfits You'll Wear All Summer

Sponsor Content Created With John Lewis

Our social calendars are suddenly filling up with plenty of lovely things, from family reunions to dinner parties, but we wouldn’t blame you at all for feeling a little overwhelmed (us too). With more plans comes the need for more outfits to leave the house in, and after over a year in tracksuit-fueled hibernation we’re suddenly having to rediscover the joy of dressing up. 

As well as deep diving into our closets to revive trusty favourites, we’ve also been on the lookout for easy, mood-boosting pieces to inject some life into our 2021 wardrobes and make the whole process of getting dressed a lot more enjoyable again. Of course, we’re here to share our findings with you and one place that has thoroughly impressed us all on the Who What Wear UK team this season, is John Lewis

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(Image credit: John Lewis)

On top of its design-driven in-house brands, the roster of womenswear labels housed at John Lewis has expanded this year. There are more emerging and independent brands to discover, like Kemi Telford and Albaray, as well as high-street favourites like Hush, making it a great place to shop for everything in one place. 

There are cute separates, lots of excellent linen and some very chic relaxed tailoring. But the hero of John Lewis’s new summer drop has to be the dress. Especially when it comes to planning for all those upcoming summer occasions. You just can’t beat a perfect dress with a great pair of sandals to make you look and feel your best again. 

Here, we’ve picked out 11 of our absolute favourite dress and sandal combos from John Lewis’s huge new edit to get you started (it was tough to get it down to just 11, trust us). Affordable and easy to throw on in the mornings, we can’t think of a more useful addition to freshen up your summer wardrobe. Keep scrolling to shop…

1. Wrap Dress + Lace-Up Sandals

2. Black Dress + Bright Sandals

3. Yellow Dress + Espadrilles

4. Floral Dress + Tan Sandals

5. Maxi Dress + Flip-Flops

6. Gingham Dress + Espadrille Sandals

7. Short Dress + Printed Sandals

8. Smock Dress + Velcro Sandals

9. Floral Midi + Buckle Sandals

10. Printed Dress + Tevas

11. Tea Dress + Double Strap Sandals

Emily Dawes
Affiliate Editor

Emily Dawes is the very definition of a fashion multi hyphenate. An editor, stylist and writer with over eleven years’ worth of experience in the industry, Emily is known for her impeccable taste, elegant outfit choices and being able to spot the next big thing in fashion from a mile off. Our readers loyally trust her advice and shopping suggestions; so much so she began her own column documenting the most expensive-looking pieces on the high street, which has become a top-performing piece of content for the Who What Wear brand.

Emily has worked for Who What Wear UK since 2020 in a myriad as roles, spanning from contributing editor and branded content editor. Now, she holds the position of affiliate editor and is responsible for the brand’s overall affiliate strategy, ideation and content execution. Working closely with Who What Wear UK’s affiliate manager, Emily has been instrumental in securing and nourishing brand partnerships, surpassing her goals as standard. Leading the team in tentpole shopping moments including Black Friday and Peak Trading, with Emily’s guidance and leadership, team Who What Wear is in a stronger affiliate position than ever before.

Prior to joining the Who What Wear team, Emily served as YOU Magazine’s acting fashion editor where she managed the fashion team and oversaw all fashion content output for the fast-paced weekly title. Emily is a stylist in her own right, having worked with a slew of VIP clients including writer and television personality, Elizabeth Day, as well as styling and art directing several celebrity cover shoots for glossy print publication, Grazia. Her adept fashion knowledge means brands regularly sought out to work with her as a consultant: previously she has developed marketing and content plans for brands for Cocoon and Edge of Ember. Before entering the industry, Emily obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Studies with International Study from Nottingham University. Fun fact: Emily spent a year studying in America which saw her join a sorority during her time there.

When she’s not working or tracking down the chicest, new-in items to share with our audience, you’ll find Emily bestowing her East London home with her stylish flair, reading everything from the classics to cowboy romance novels and escaping to the country with husband, baby boy and dog, Roo, whenever she can.

Emily is currently on maternity leave.