Summer might be synonymous with rising temperatures (unpredictable British weather aside), but that doesn’t have to translate to the hemlines of your dresses. Contrary to what you might think the weather dictates, a longer hem combined with a breathable fabric is a match made in sartorial heaven when temperatures feel closer to hell.
Here, we’ve broken down the nine key summer maxi dresses that are worth investing in now and keeping in your rotation for seasons - if not years - to come.
1: SPORTY TO SOPHISTICATED
A dress can be both sporty and sophisticated - relaxed enough for Sunday roasts and refined enough for RSVP-only events. The secret lies in a lustrous silk-blend fabric, bespoke print, and subtle sporty details like those defining our Silk-Blend Shadow Bloom Print Maxi Dress.
Inflected with light blue and khaki details set on a cream base and fitted with a drawstring waist, it seamlessly finds the balance between the two. Signing off the style, a stripe positioned in front of the side seams creates a flattering, leg-lengthening finish.
2: THE LBD (LONG BLACK DRESS)
The AM-PM multitasker with a summer-ready spin and chameleon-like credentials, the LBD is able to build both pared-back everyday looks with denim jackets and more polished ones with soft tailoring.
Our iteration of this most versatile of long summer dresses heroes organic-cotton jersey imbued with a hint of stretch and a minimalist, short-sleeved silhouette accompanied by an unexpected cut-out at the back. With a gathered waist, it creates a soft hourglass silhouette that flatters all frames.
3: THE KNITTED DRESS
Yes, we know the words “knitted” and “summer closet” aren’t ones you’d expect to find together, but these knitted long dresses are different.
Keeping you cool while celebrating maximalist, riotous color, our Cotton Crochet Stripe Knit Maxi Dress is the perfect antidote to summer’s heat. Suspended from a flattering halterneck, it’s covered in neat bands of bold color outlined with black trims and a contrasting side stripe positioned for a flattering, leg-lengthening effect.
4: THE EVERY-EVENT SOLUTION
Warmer months bring renewed energy, and inboxes fill with invites to garden parties, picnics, weddings, birthdays…the list goes on and with it, the question of what to wear to each one.
Proving that you don’t need a complete closet overhaul to build looks suited to everything filling your diary: our hero floral maxi dress crafted from a luxurious blend of soft silk and breathable cotton in a fresh bespoke print. Intelligently designed, the floral pattern boasts key colors from the collection that are also celebrated throughout our edit of tailored blazers and jackets to make outfit-building a painless two-step process. The beauty of this approach is that every blazer results in a different aesthetic, emphasizing a new shade from the print maxi dress each time.
5: CHEESECLOTH
Breathable, iron-free and comfortable, there are plenty of reasons why we champion cheesecloth as the definitive summer savior. When you combine the fabric in a bold aqua shade with a flattering maxi silhouette, shirring, and a subtle cut-out at the back, the result is a statement vacation-ready style that accommodates all bust sizes, fits comfortably, and flatters your frame while keeping you cool in the hottest of climes.
Alternatively, try our Cheesecloth Shirred Waist Maxi Dress in a wearable navy colorway. Topped with an adjustable neckline and framed by short pouf sleeves that fall to ruffled cuffs, it provides flattering coverage and multiple-ways-to-wear versatility suited to your working weeks, weekends and beyond.
6: THE BELTED DRESS
Effortlessly transforming a dress from a relaxed to a more fitted silhouette, a belt is a little closet miracle worker - even more so when it’s designed to complement the dress in question.
Our Scallop Embroidery Maxi Dress is crafted from a soft cotton blend embroidered with a subtle dot motif that adds depth to the styles’ navy and white colorways and is accompanied by a matching belt in the same fabric. Endlessly adaptable to suit different settings and temperatures, it exudes both a relaxed ease and refined elegance depending on your location.
7: COLOR POP
Henri Matisse once said, “with color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft." And although he might have been talking about the transformative power of color on a canvas, the same can be said for sartorial shades, too. Wholeheartedly embracing deep, bold, saturated shades, these maxi dresses instantly revive your closet, filling it with head-to-toe solutions that command attention and echo summer’s zest for life.
Luxuriously pure silk is joined by shirred detailing and an adjustable neckline on our Silk Shirred Maxi Dress in a deep, intense violet hue that falls in ruffle-trimmed tiers down to a straight hem at your ankles. Playing with two tones of the same bright color, our Statement Racerback Floor-Length Dress + Belt is crafted from recycled crepe with both a lustrous satin side and smooth matte one and is joined by an optional belt to switch from a draped finish and more fitted one.
8: THE AM-PM PRINTS
Bold prints perfect day-to-dusk outfitting in one step while a floor-grazing silhouette instantly lends your look eveningwear appeal with gold jewelry or heels.
Try a pared-back-to-polished player like our Vibrant Paisley Print Halterneck Maxi Dress to bridge occasion dressing at home and day-to-night outfitting on vacation. It heroes a lightweight, textured fabric boasting a bespoke paisley print blown up to larger-than-life proportions. For a more traditional occasionwear approach, our Satin Graphic Tulip Print Maxi Dress boasts a few of our intelligent design details: an adjustable neckline and signature leg-lengthening side stripe.
9: THE SHIRT DRESS
The hardest working piece in your workdrobe, the classic button-down shirt is translated to a long-sleeved dress that almost touches the floor to create this style. Crafted from a linen-blend fabric specifically engineered to minimize creasing, it proves its staying power both at home and on vacation thanks to its adjustable neckline, shirred, fitted waist, functional pockets, and arm adjusters that effortlessly keep pushed-up sleeves in place.