The Only Dress Styles You Need on Your Radar This Summer

Blame Instagram, but I genuinely feel like I'm the only person on the planet right now who isn't in the Maldives. Some influencers might have on beautiful bikinis and glam cover-ups, but I'm still clinging on to my light layers and practical shoes. While we can't all spend our Monday afternoons reclining on a tropical beach, we can still join the jet set by planning our own getaway wardrobes. Besides, summer is now in full swing, so what better time to plot a warm-weather wardrobe for the coming months? The main player? Summer dresses, of course.

The new-season collections are dropping like crazy, alongside plenty of bargains in the sales (see our edit here), so there's plenty to choose from. As such, I've been saving items across all of my favourite accounts—from ASOS to Net-a-Porter. From the prints, shapes and brands worth investing in to the styles that work both home and away, I've made an edit of the 20 summer dresses you should consider for 2019.

The Print: Polka Dots

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(Image credit: @darjabarannik)

Style Notes: Timeless, effortlessly stylish and so versatile, polka dots are still big news this summer. Sunset backdrop optional but strongly advised.

The Colour: Green

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(Image credit: @slipintostyle)

Style Notes: Shades of green have been widely popular of late. From lime to sage, this time, we're drawing attention to the deeper hue as seen on Ellie in the Hellessy belted dress. Team with raffia accessories to be beach-smart and switch to golden jewels for evening.

The Brand: Saloni

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(Image credit: @saloniofficial)

Style Notes: We imagine you've heard of Saloni (or at least noticed its dreamy dresses on social). Like Ghost and Rixo, this is another go-to brand for It dresses. See below for proof.

Related: Is It Just Us, or Is Everyone in London Wearing One of These 9 Buys?

The Style: Prairie

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(Image credit: @aurorajames)

Style Notes: Team Who What Wear are big fans of the prairie dress trend, and we're not the only ones. Celebs including Florence Welch and Alexa Chung have already backed the Batsheva style Aurora is wearing here.

The Detail: Statement Sleeves

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(Image credit: @wethepeoplestyle)

Style Notes: Statement sleeves are the key to creating 2019's silhouette. Make like Jessie and team with a beaded bag and matching hair clip—that's one way to tick off all the microtrends in one fell swoop. 

The Clever One: Holiday-to-Home Styles

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(Image credit: @monikh)

Style Notes: We know what you're thinking: If you buy a beach-ready frock, you won't be able to wear it back in the UK, right? Wrong. If you opt for a dress that's easy to layer, you've got the answer to shopping savvy. Look for styles that also layer over polo-necks and options that look just as good with boots as they will with sandals.

Next up, these are all the S/S 19 trends you need to take note of. 

Opening Image: @nicoleocran

Freelance Fashion Editor

Harriet Davey is a freelance fashion editor who has been part of Who What Wear's extended team since 2017. She previously worked in print at Look magazine and has since worked across print, digital and social for many other titles, including British Vogue, Stylist, Grazia, Refinery29 and Marie Claire. Also a stylist, Harriet has had the pleasure of producing cover shoots and editorials along with commercial shoots for brands including Boux Avenue, Watches of Switzerland, Benefit Cosmetics and Revolution. To add to this, Harriet also works in live TV styling for ITV’s This Morning.

Back to Who What Wear. With hundreds of published stories on site, Harriet knows what the WWW reader wants. Keeping up to date with the latest It buys and runway trends, she can guarantee to keep you one step ahead of the most stylish people.

When not writing or styling, Harriet loves to go shopping (yes, more fashion). If she’s not in a local Hackney bar or restaurant, you can find her forever searching for her next holiday destination.