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How to dress like a grown-up: Stop wearing summer dresses that are tired and unflattering - and avoid these patterns
Ah the everyday summer dress. Of course you all remember the furore about the death of the summer print dress when women of all ages rose up and roared ‘Hands Off Our Useful Dresses!’ and it lived to fight another day.
We love a pull-on-and-go dress — a floppy, loose fit, yet flattering everyday dress — and if we can get away with it, we don’t want to wear much else when the temperature rises.
If your old everyday summer dress is looking a bit tired and you’re in need of a replacement, now’s the time to future proof your everyday dress: step away from the florals and try a graphic, possibly monochrome print instead. It won’t just look more current it will look fresher (stripes and plains beat florals in the heat) and it will be a lot more versatile between seasons.
Otherwise, if you’re sticking to your trusty summer fallback, there a few easy tweaks that will make it look brand new.
A dress in a black print on white or cream is versatile enough to wear to work or in the evening, as seen on Sarah Jessica Parker
Opt for something graphic like Boden’s Flo cotton midi shirt dress in a green and white maze print (£135, boden.co.uk)
The way to press the refresh button on an old floral print dress is to break it up with plain colour by wearing it with a cotton blazer or four-pocket jacket.
Black and white are good bets, depending on the background of the print, and Jaeger for Marks & Spencer does a cotton, stretch, cropped blazer in both (£99, marksandspencer.com). Suddenly that’s a toned down and simultaneously sharpened-up floral print dress.
Alternatively, pick a different style of print. You’ve heard this a million times, but ditsy floral prints have run their course. They’re not banned they just don’t look as fresh as the new options which are more botanical than herbaceous border.
The alternative is something graphic like Boden’s Flo cotton midi shirt dress in a green and white maze print (£135, boden.co.uk). This one has a couple of tiers at the hem as many everyday dresses do.
Tiers can be tricky, but they work if the skirt is long enough and not too full and providing there’s minimal gathering so you barely notice them. When they’re right they break up a skirt nicely and give it movement.
Marks & Spencer’s soft brown, stripe, V-neck tiered midi is a case in point (£39.50). This has a slightly gathered panel under the bust (sounds off-putting, but it’s surprisingly flattering) and puff sleeves (not too puffy and almost to elbow length, so perfectly manageable for Us).
Go for plain colour or monochrome. Plain black is a surprisingly useful colour for summer and looks great with black, white or tan accessories. Marks and Spencer’s easy textured black tiered dress (£45) has a softly cinched tie waist you can easily smarten up with a white or black belt and sandals.
Marks and Spencer’s easy textured black tiered dress (£45) has a softly cinched tie waist
Lady Starmer wears an elegant white dress while in Washington DC with her husband Sir Keir
A white dress is harder to carry off (for me it’s a holidays only option now), but a dress in a black print on white or cream is versatile enough to wear to work or in the evening. Me+Em does a black on cream daisy print cotton midi in the new high-waisted V neck style that is to the summer of 2024 what the tent dress was to last July and this is my everyday dress buy for the summer (£195, meandem.com).
I also like Marks & Spencer’s linen mix black and white striped belted midaxi dress with three-quarter sleeves (£45). Just the thing for hot holidays, too.
Otherwise a dress in one plain bright colour is a no brainer for summer and the stronger the colour the more suitable it is for dressing up. Head to Aspiga’s website for cornflower blue or hot pink styles (£140, aspiga.com).
Narrow sleeves on dresses look a bit dated now. Disguise them with a light jacket or look for sleeves with volume, finishing near the elbow or bracelet length. Sleeveless is an option too, of course, although I find sleeves keep you cooler. If you’re ready for no sleeves try John Lewis’s crinkle cotton dress (£29.50, johnlewis.com). Once again it has that empire line — and a crinkly waisted panel — but the effect is light and breezy.
Change your shoes. A flat black or tan leather sandal with a soft padded footbed is the best way of freshening up a dress this summer and giving it a smart city edge. Longer midis can look dowdy with slim flats or trainers and unbalanced with higher heels like wedges. Try Marks & Spencer’s ankle strap style in metallic black (£59) or, if you want a bit of a heel and a smarter look for work, Per Una’s mid-height block heels with a gold ring detail in brown (£51.75). They’ll go with everything.