When it comes summer purchases, dresses rank pretty highly on our wish list. There's just something about slipping on into a frock that has the power to make your style feel fresh and new—which is especially helpful when you feel a little out of practice dressing for the warmer temperatures. And this latest streak of glorious weather seems to have brought on a bout of dress wearing on social media, with influencers showing off their latest additions to the world. Incredibly easy to style (all you need is a couple of key accessories), a dress always makes for a foolproof outfit solution, and these women know that.
While there are plenty of options out there to choose from, there are a few trending dresses we and our fashion friends are especially into this season, all of which I've detailed for you below.
They all look different at first glance, but many share design signatures. For the most part they look pretty comfortable to wear and generally fall into the "throw-on" category. You'll also notice a recurring theme of bandeau necklines. This is something we saw over and over again on the spring/summer 2023 runways, so it should come as no surprise that it's now infiltrating our real life dress collections, too. What I also love is that so many of them are just plain fun! From bow details to stone embellishments to vibrant colours, these dresses are a visual feast for the eyes, too.
From not one but two incredible options from one high-street brand to designer investments you'll wear for a lifetime, scroll on to discover 2023's line-up of trending summer dresses. You won't be disappointed.
1. Mango's Stone-Strap Dress
Style Notes: Between its stone-embellished straps, linen fabrication and cutout sides, this dress practically embodies summer. I particularly love Monikh's take on styling it with a bright raffia clutch bag.
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2. Tove's Lauryn Dress
Style Notes: Tove has given us many trending dresses over the years but 2023's—the Lauryn, which features a ruched bandeau neckline in a gorgeous buttermilk hue—might just be my favourite yet.
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3. Réalisation Par's Gia Dress
Style Notes: Réalisation's Gia dress garnered cult status last summer, with the OG zebra-print iteration featuring heavily on the feeds of fashion people. Now, it's back for 2023 in a brand-new, shadow floral print with the perfect combination of fiery and crimson reds.
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4. Raey's Denim Bandeau Dress
Style Notes: Bandeau dresses are a big deal this season and arguably one of the more consistent frock trends that we saw on the runway. For a laid-back take, follow Thandi's lead with Raey's denim offering.
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5. Celia B's Nerissa Dress
Style Notes: Crochet is a failsafe in the summer months, where brightly coloured weave prove especially popular. And right now, I keep seeing Celia B's gorgeous maxi creation everywhere, from the beached of Brighton all the way to the Maldives.
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6. Aje's Henriette Dress
Style Notes: I'm a sucker for a white dress and Jessica has found one of the best of the season by way of Aje's cutout, halterneck midi. It's still in stock in a few places but it's currently on sale at Liberty. Don't pause.
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7. Rixo's June Dress
Style Notes: Rixo always delivers on the dress front but I'm especially taken with its moodier floral prints. This combination of red flowers on a black background is as timeless as any floral print I've seen.
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8. Mango x Simon Mller's Knot Dress
Style Notes: You know Mango's dress department understood the assignment when not one but two of its styles are trending at the same time. Next up is this long, knot-front dress, which forms part of its hotly anticipated designer collaboration with Simon Miller.
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9. Queens of Archive's Gena Dress
Style Notes: Queens of Archive creates dresses with vintage style flair, and this cute, rose-print number, complete with its open back and puff sleeves, is just one of the highlights in its latest collection.
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10. Free People's Traveler Dress
Style Notes: It wouldn't be summer without a Free People dress dominating my thoughts and right now, my mind is on this throw-on style which, true to Free People form, comes in a handful of pretty colours, as well as classic black and white.
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