When the mercury rises, an ever-pressing need for simple silhouettes and casual throw-on-and-go pieces that perfect a warm-weather look in seconds rises to the surface. In other words, when it’s hot, our wardrobes collectively crave ease and effortlessness. 
 

While shorts and shirts have their part to play in this season’s styling, the versatility of a classic day dress that can complement your favourite leather trainers and strappiest summer sandals has its own particular effortlessness. These summer dresses act as the backdrop to minimal accessories or sculptural jewellery, shoring up your wardrobe for whatever the season brings with it.


Whether you prefer to make a statement in bold prints or have a hankering for classic neutrals, we’ve carefully curated an edit of casual dresses, selecting the styles that pique every interest and can hold their own if a day out turns into a balmy dinner alfresco.




Park Picnic

While we won’t be adding our two cents about whether a sandy or pebble beach is best, we will focus your attention on our edit of women’s dresses crafted from cheesecloth, pure cotton and soft towelling that effortlessly perfect a look suited to a day beside the sea.
 
Easy to slip on over swimwear when you’re breaking from the beach for lunch or to see you through to casual dinners with salty hair and the hint of sand between your toes, our curation of flattering dresses contains everything from flattering shift to versatile maxi dress silhouettes with removable belts and functional side pockets to keep your small essentials close. 




City Sightseeing

Primed for busy days and lazy evenings without a moment to spare in between the two, our sleeveless midi and maxi dresses have endless AM-PM versatility. Easily adaptable to suit different settings and climates, they can be dressed down with trainers and canvas bucket hats or elevated with chunky gold jewellery when evening arrives.
 

In a pairs-with-everything navy shade, our Sleeveless Tiered Midi Dress marries a sleeveless, round-neck silhouette with a tiered skirt that effortlessly slots into both AM and PM settings, while our Cheesecloth Sleeveless Maxi Dress is defined by naturally textured fabric that never needs to be ironed to see you through from sunrise to sunset. Signing off the sleeveless style, frill trims soften the silhouette and add a playful touch.
 

A true wardrobe essential, these flattering dresses act as a sartorial ally to your much-deserved city break and are easy to dress up with a cropped bomber jacket when you’re not styling it solo.




BBQ

As Brits, we’re notoriously optimistic about summer weather. History might dictate that the sun’s appearance is anything but permanent, but that doesn’t stop us from arranging a good, old-fashioned BBQ - even if the day could include nursing it under an umbrella.

 
So, just as the slightest hint of blue sky and higher temperatures are cues to round up friends and family and stock up on charcoal, they’re also your sign to slip into a swing dress; its flattering cut creates ample opportunity to soak up the sun’s rays while retaining coverage. 
 

Our Mixed Media Swing Dress embraces a bold, solid hue and combines cotton jersey with cotton-twill panelling around the dipped hem. Should there be a chill in the air, style it with a cropped, light-wash denim jacket. 

 
Shaped to a longer length, our Casual Cotton Belted Maxi Shirt Dress + Slip is the epitome of a summer dress and celebrates the occasion with effortless ease: a soft, pure-cotton fabric with a simple button-front silhouette, removable belt and practical pockets positioned towards the front to avoid adding bulk to your hips.




From the Office to WFH

Styles that seek sunshine and also speak to both office and WFH settings don’t have to feel overtly formal. With a more casual aesthetic, a shirt dress takes cues from classic tailoring and workwear staples combined with easy, relaxed silhouettes and soft fabrics. The results don’t only keep you cool but also freshly pressed and professionally presentable, whether your meetings are taking place in a boardroom or on a video call. 

 
Falling in tiers to a flattering dipped hem above your ankles, our Silk Cotton Boho Maxi Dress + Belt proves that work-appropriate dresses don’t have to have a preference for monochrome shades, and that bold, eye-catching colours have their part to play as well. Creating definition, the removable belt helps to cinch in your waist below the ruffle-trimmed collar and button-down front.

 
Continuing with this bold-is-better mentality, a bright lapis blue shade saturates our Supersoft Cotton Poplin Tiered Maxi Dress + Belt that stands out from the sea of same old styles that pervade typical office attire edits. To achieve a more casual look that chimes with out-of-office settings, remove the belt to create a looser silhouette that emphasises the soft tiers and flattering dipped hem just above your ankles.




Beach

When your hamper or basket is filled, pair your spread of choice with a floral dress - after all, what could be a better partner to a park picnic, sartorially speaking, than a motif inspired by mother nature?


Accompanied by flattering detailing such as soft shirring and subtle, leg-lengthening dipped hems, the striking floral print playing over our Smocked Printed Maxi Dress heroes a bright green shade tempered by black detailing to find the balance between a statement-making and subtle style. Style with simple accessories in neutral tones or ground it with a chunky trainer.


As may be expected when you’re balancing a plate of food on one knee and a paper cup on the other, spills happen, but the added beauty of this style is that it’s easy to throw in the wash the moment you’re home, saving you from journeying to a dry cleaner.