Elegant Style Is Reigning, Especially These 6 Specific Dresses

All year, we've been discussing the elegant style renaissance that's been happening across the runways and on celebrities and seeping into our day-to-day style too. It's largely defined by an overall sense of polish with influences from the '50s and '60s that are bringing key silhouettes and items back into our outfit rotations. We're finding ourselves in the mood to dress in pieces that make us feel elevated and pulled-together, and that sentiment is only growing stronger as we progress into the middle of the summer.

Now that we're deep into the season, nowhere else is elegant style more apparent than in our dresses. Of course, summer is always the season of dresses, and having several in your arsenal is almost a prerequisite this time of year. We don't have to spell out the draws of wearing dresses all summer, but the quintessential one-and-done outfit is even more compelling right now thanks to all the elegant and classic styles that are flooding the market. From beautiful baroque waists to graphic black-and-white color-blocking, it's never been a better time to shop for a summer dress. The six styles we've curated below will carry you across all occasions and hopefully far beyond this season.

Below, discover the list of elegant and simply gorgeous dresses to consider when looking put-together is the objective. Keep scrolling to shop them all.

Black-and-White Dresses

While the warmer months are usually synonymous with fun-loving colors and whimsical prints, the color palette of the moment is the polar opposite. The chicest dresses are defined by two-tone designs that combine graphic black-and-white color-blocking, whether it be a black top and white skirt, contrast trimming, or the illusion of a built-in bra. These dresses are simple, timeless, and ultimately useful for so many summer occasions, from vacation to weddings and everything in between.

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Drop-Waist Dresses

If there's a single silhouette defining the best dresses of the moment, it's the drop-waist look. If you flip through pretty much any website's dress section right now—J.Crew, Abercrombie, Nordstrom, Revolve—you'll find a similar look repeated in various colors, fabrics, and necklines. We're huge fans of this style because it's so easy to throw on but makes anything look pulled-together and intentional, regardless of how much effort you actually put in.

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Halter Dresses

We have our attention glued to everything halter right now. The high-neck, low-back silhouette is one that's impossible to wear without looking refined, no matter what else you add into your outfit mix. With retro '50s-era style having a renaissance right now, halter dresses are reemerging, and the ones on the market couldn't be any more elegant and elevated.

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Baroque-Waist Dresses

In the same vein as the drop-waist dresses we outlined above comes another slightly more specific version of the look. Baroque waists are defined by a dipped waist that features a fitted bodice and flared hips, so the body definition is all on the sides of the dress. This is a shape we first noticed in the bridal space, but it has started to bleed over into ready-to-wear.

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Poplin Dresses

Cotton and linen are still great options, but if an elegant ensemble is what you're after, prioritizing poplin will be the best way to make it happen. Alaïa and Tove are two designers paving the way for the poplin-dress look with their ultra-chic tea-length dresses that are beloved by celebs like Kylie Jenner.

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Bubble-Hem Dresses

Lastly are bubble hems, a slightly more whimsical look but one that we're camping squarely in the elegant-dressing space because of all the chic options that are giving the nostalgic silhouette a much more grown-up feel.

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