A Tiny Guide to Summer Dresses

Why we need them, why we love them.

While I would never consider myself a summer person, there are many, many things that appeal to me about summer dressing. No socks. Bikini tops as bras. Shell things. Fancy Tevas. Gauzy dresses…with everything. But perhaps the best part of summer is the summer dress itself…and why it’s so darn appealing.

With maybe the exception of a very good statement coat, few things in our closets can check so many adorable boxes AND deliver all the ooohs and delight that throwing on a fantastic summer dress can. And by fantastic, I mean a dress that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful…and also maybe like you’re a tiny bit famous. Like people are noticing you and picking up on your summer dress vibe out in the wild…in a good way. Unlike some other perfunctory things in our closets (as pretty as they are:), the summer dress allows us to fully inhabit our alter ego…our summer alter ego. That part of us that always looks like she has her shit together. And doesn’t lose her temper. Or rip the bag of popcorn open on the wrong end. That part of us that is moving through life with ease and absolutely ZERO fear of how hot the subway actually is at 4 p.m..

It may sound a tiny bit nuts, but the Summer Dress means spending your days (when you’re wearing it) with the absolute belief that Life Is Good. That things are happening. That we ARE in the right place at the right time…a great summer dress can make us believe it is SO. And, whether you favor sheer cotton, silk, linen, or even up-cycled “poopy-doop” (as the great Carrie Donovan once declared regarding the “mystery” fabric of an Old Navy dress she was plugging), there is a Perfect Summer Dress out there for each of us.

To that point, I’ve done some hunting (with equal parts editing) to include a reasonable number of lovely summer dress options below—also nicely merched up in A Tiny Shop, too (with loads of special add-ons to go with them:). I’ve also featured a handful of dresses I’ve been wearing since before my daughter was born, the tried-and-true…which is also sort of the point of making your closet as sustainable (ie: hardworking) as possible—by choosing new things you have a hunch you’ll want to wear for a long time to come.

I suppose if I had one more piece of advice when it comes to buying a new summer dress if you need/want one, it is this: Go for the one that just gives you a sigh of relief when you see it. Meaning you can go the minimal route with just a marvelous pair of earrings and sandal OR you can go a little bonkers and layer it under/over a shirt-dress or impractical practical lace slip thingy. And every time you wear it, you can tweak the recipe just a bit more…and make it into something new. Because that is what my summer friends tell me summer is all about: FREEDOM. Your own summer song. And the anarchy of eating soft-serve—with abandon!—even though you have absolutely no idea what is in it!

Okay…time to get into it—happy almost summer gang…

When a summer dress is also a party: Marques Almeida, found on The RealReal for $75 (woooo!). The asymmetric hem makes it a winner for layering over cool, silky pajama pants, which is a routine summer move for me. Mine are the classic Stella silk-satin style by Lee Mathews, and I’ve worn them a ton with everything…I highly recommend. Vintage Manolo Blahnik sandals (these are cute, too) and vintage shell necklace, which you can usually find at most thrift stores, so keep looking! If not though, this one by Sézane is a keeper.