16 high street summer dresses to stock up on now
SUMMER has arrived, and we are dusting off our summer wardrobe, and looking for new, chic high-street summer dresses.
Whether you’re fed up with your current summer wardrobe or want to invest in new high-street summer dresses – then we’re here to help.
Some summer trends do not change too much, such as the love for summer dresses, whether they are midi, maxi, or mini, sleeveless, puff sleeve, or Bardot.
Bold prints and patterns also come out in the warmer seasons, especially gingham, and floral ditsy print, but there are plenty more to shop too.
With a summer dress, all you have to do is throw it on, add shoes and accessories, and you’re out the door.
Summer dresses are effortless, but make you look chic, classy, and put together, even if you did get ready in five minutes.
Dresses can be styled multiple ways, dressed up or down, so you can be full-on glam for a summer wedding, or recycle the dress for a shopping spree on the weekend with pals with a pair of trainers or flat sandals.
Convinced yourself yet? These are our favourite high street summer dresses of ours – will any tempt you?
Shop our top summer dress picks
1. Mango
When the summer months come, whether you are enjoying the UK weather or heading off into the sunset further afield, a loose fitting mini dress is exactly what we want.
This design is super flattering, uber feminine, lightweight and cooling, perfect for scorching summer days.
You can wear to the beach, on a brunch date, in the evening to go out out, as well as to summer festivals, it’s that versatile.
- Lyocell ruffle dress, £49.99 from Mango – buy here
2. New Look
A puff sleeve is always in fashion come the summer months, and the mini length is also a great choice.
The monochrome floral print is timeless, and makes this an affordable, yet stylish, design we are snapping up for the warmer days.
Pair with trainers, flats, wedges or heels, depending on the occasion and enjoy basking in the sunshine.
- Black Floral Puff Sleeve Mini Dress, £10 (Was £31.99) from New Look – buy here
3. M&S
This denim mini dress is the perfect everyday garment to wear in the summer, and winter, as it is such a versatile garment.
The mini length shows off your legs, yet the A-line design is loose and not too skintight to leave you feeling uncomfortable or restricted.
What we love about this number is how there are multiple ways to style it, so if you are buying an everyday summer dress to see you through the seasons, this is it.
You can layer a t-shirt, or shirt, underneath, maybe even a jumper over the top.
Go bare leg or wear with tights when the chill sets in.
- NOBODY’S CHILD Denim Scoop Neck Mini Dress, £55 from M&S – buy here
4. John Lewis
A few of the things we love in the summer includes broderie fabric, as it is lightweight, yet a little extra detail, which we favour over other fabrics to give a little extra je ne sais quoi.
While summer dresses are typically bright and vibrant, we do always rely on a black dress all year round, including the summer months.
The square neck, and thick shoulder straps, combined with the straight fit, and broderie texture, makes for a simple but classy summer dress to take you to work, weekend brunch, everyday casual wear, as well as more formal summer occasions this season.
- Ro&Zo Strappy Broderie Anglaise Button Front Dress, £69 (Was £109) from John Lewis – buy here
5. River Island
In the summer some may want a fuss free design, which is easy to wear, style, and is not restrictive. This is the answer.
Whether you are enjoying the sunshine on a cute picnic, heading to the beach, going on holiday, this midi dress will see you through all occasions.
It features a ruched bust detailing, with tie front fastening, before it billows out into a midi skirt, so rest assured no strappy tan lines for you.
- White Bandeau Midi Dress, £12 (Was £39) from River Island – buy here
6. Topshop
Every summer we see the return of knitted, or crochet, dresses, and this year is no different.
This sleeveless, square neck design, is more of a midaxi length, and boasts a thigh high split so you can move without feeling restricted.
You can layer over a bikini when heading to the beach or to sunbathe poolside, on its own with a denim jacket and sandals, or with heels, maybe even a quirky belt for an evening out.
- Topshop knitted square neck midi dress, £55 from ASOS – buy here
7. ASOS
We have been eyeballing this halter midaxi dress from ASOS for a while.
It is a creative twist on the classic halterneck dress, or shirred short sleeve midi dress, and we love it.
The halterneck feature is super feminine, and shows off the delicate shoulder area, while the cut out back and shirred chest detail, makes this number a more elevated style perfect for any time of day and occasion.
It also comes in black and orange, as well as the summery gingham print, so you can shop one in every colour to see you through the entire summer, and we would happily live in them all summer long.
- ASOS DESIGN halter midaxi dress with shirred bodice in mono gingham, £35 from ASOS – buy here
8. Daily Sleeper
Sleeper know how to do summer dressing, and do it well.
We live in our Atlanta dress every summer and holiday, and have done for many years, as they never go out of fashion. So, they are well worth investing in.
It comes in various prints and colours, so you can choose one to suit you, though we love the gingham as it is simply timeless.
The dress has lining in the skirting for coverage, and you can choose to wear the puff sleeves to cover the shoulders, or off the shoulder.
- Sleeper Atlanta off-the-shoulder shirred gingham linen-blend midi dress, £255 from Liberty – buy here
9. Nobody’s Child
Nobody’s Child never fails to impress us, whether it is the array of dress styles or slogan t-shirts.
While there is a bountiful selection of dresses to shop at Nobody’s Child, one bestseller is the Delilah Midi Tea Dress, and we can absolutely see why.
This design is flattering for all body shapes, thanks to the midi length, slight plunge neckline, and short puff sleeves.
- Floral Puff Sleeve Delilah Midi Tea Dress, £29 from Nobody’s Child – buy here
10. Never Fully Dressed
Never Fully Dressed is another firm favourite shopping destination when hunting for summer dresses and occasionwear.
What we love about the brand is you can wear almost anything, multiple ways, and this multifunctional ethos not only helps us nject a new lease of life into our wardrobes, as we can style one item numerous ways, but it is easy on our purse strings too.
One item we are lusting over is the Kenickie Dress, which boasts a halterneck, open back, is midi length, and just chef’s kiss.
- Black Kenickie Dress, £59 (Was £89) from Never Fully Dressed – buy here
11. Allsaints
The perfect summer exists, and it’s available from All Saints.
The Ari Peggy Floral Print Mini Wrap Dress is the versatile dress we will live in forever more.
From the wrap front, ruffle mini skirt detail, 3/4 sleeve blouson sleeve, combined with the soft blush pink colourway, and floral detail, this dress ticks all the boxes.
This mini dress is perfect for summer as it is lightweight, floaty and airy, while still concealing the tops of the arms some may be conscious of exposing in the warmer season.
You can dress up or down, whether you pair with flat sandals, wedges, heels, or wintery boots, so you have an outfit for all occasions.
- Ari Peggy Floral Print Mini Wrap Dress, £199, All Saints – buy here
12. Nobody’s Child
Looking for a mini? We love the pastel tones in this Nobody’s Child number.
Part of the Nobody’s Child x Happy Place by Fearne Cotton collab, it’s a great summer dress with sweet tones of yellow, pink and a floaty, shorter style.
- Fearne Cotton Pastel Vienna Mini Dress, £65, Nobody’s Child – buy here
13. Cross Back Jersey Midi Dress
This Boden number looks so comfy, and chic.
We’re loving the cross-back design, plus the stretch-jersey smocked bodice gives added stretch.
The subtle print makes this even more feminine for those who want a LBD with a twist.
Plus, it’s on sale, so what are you waiting for?
- Cross Back Jersey Midi Dress, £68.60 (Was £98) from Boden – buy here
14. Very
When we think of summer, we think of balmy summer days, vibrant sunshine, and vibrant colours, so why not get a dress to match?
Michelle Keegan has collaborated with Very on a number of collections over the years, and one in particular we are head over heels for is the Textured Button Jersey Dress.
The jersey fabric means this dress is super lightweight and breathable, which is a must in boiling hot weather.
The mini design, combined with the loose short sleeve, and button front fastening, makes this super stylish and the perfect number to way day or night.
- Michelle Keegan Textured Button Jersey Dress, £30 from Very – buy here
15. Kitri
Kitri is a must shop for stunning garments, whether you are shopping for dresses, trousers, knitwear, and everything in between.
The Gianna Tie Back Yellow Floral Maxi Dress has caught our eye because it looks very similar to the polka dot print Rixo dress – IYKYK.
This design is perfect for summer as it is vibrant, thanks to the pops of blue, red, yellow and orange floral pattern. It also boasts a squavol neckline, puff sleeves, is maxi in length, which makes this super flattering, but it’s the back detail for us that really stands this number out from the rest.
- Gianna Tie Back Yellow Floral Maxi Dress, £70 (Was £180) from Kitri – buy here
16. Warehouse
Dressing for the summer months can be difficult, as we don’t want anything too tight and clinging as it’s too hot, or muggy, for restrictive clothes. Instead we prefer loose fitted, breathable designs.
While the Trapeze Dress may look super chic, it is a failsafe garment to throw on in the summer, whether you are working from home, running errands, heading to the beach for the day on holiday, and plenty of other occasions too.
The cotton fabric makes this dress super lightweight, breathable and comfortable in piping hot heat.
The short sleeves and midi length, combined with the A-line/ trapeze style, makes for a floaty design you will feel comfortable in for hours on end.
- Clean Cotton Trapeze Midi Dress, £55.30 (Was £79) from Warehouse – buy here
Complete the look with an on -trend pair of New Balance trainers.
Or look to Daisy Jones and the Six for bohemian style inspiration.
Going on holiday? Here are 17 stylish swimwear pieces to buy now for summer.
Looking for more stylish savings at your favourite fashion chains? Visit Sun Vouchers where you’ll find amazing discounts and voucher codes for hundreds of fashion retailers including ASOS, Very, River Island, Roman Originals, New Look and more.