The first heatwave of 2022 is here, which means it’s time to pack away the heavy knitwear, box up the winter boots and start thinking about that long overdue leg wax: in short, it’s spring dress season.
Not to be confused with The Summer Dress (all spaghetti straps and flimsy fabrics), The Spring Dress must cater for the intermittent chills of March to May via sturdier materials, long sleeves (non-negotiable) and pockets (always, always preferable). A good spring dress is perfect for brisk park walks and outdoor pub sessions that move inside promptly when the sun goes, and it should work with boots and a cardi in cooler climes and sandals and sunnies when the heatwave hits.
Before you reach for that floral midi, might I urge you to be a little more adventurous with your dress selection this spring? Why not swerve the feminine florals entirely and instead opt for something a little sharper? Here are six seriously chic alternatives to that ditsy daisy print dress.
The spring knit
If you lived in your cosy knit midi this winter, there’s no reason you can’t continue in comfort come spring — just look for shorter sleeves and lighter colours and switch out cashmere and woollen styles for more sweaty Tube-friendly cotton and viscose-heavy blends. Scandi brand Remain Birger Christensen’s super cool sky blue fine knit dress (£200, shop here) comes with an oversized seventies collar and split knuckle-grazing sleeves.
For something more affordable, try H&M’s rib-knit calf length light blue marled dress (£69.99, shop here). Mango’s coral-coloured 100 per cent cotton rib knit (£49.99, shop here) feels particularly spring-like, while Maje has a cream collared midi with asymmetric gold button front (£279, shop here) that’s perfect for more formal offices and events.
Boho is back
Remember when Noughties Sienna Miller in kaftan tops, beaded waistcoats and paisley prints was your number one style muse? Well, it’s time to pin the best of her boho chic looks back on your vision board, as the trend is very much back for summer ’22. Free People is a bountiful emporium of paisley prints and tassels — try the appropriately named Happy Feelings maxi dress (£155, shop here), perfect for picnics and holidays, or wear with wellies to semaphore Sienna’s supreme Glasto style.
Get shirty
If you’re in the market for something as office-appropriate as it is warm weather-ready, look no further than a shirt dress; your one-stop-shop for looking effortlessly elegant and put-together.
Massimo Dutti, Mango, Reiss and Mint Velvet all stock brilliant, belted midi shirt dresses in bold, energising colours, while Maje has a gorgeous collared, puff-sleeve mini in summery pastel. For something a little saucier, try &OtherStories lime green fitted shirt dress (£75, shop here), which is more dancefloor than trading floor.
Check, please
Pastel ginghams were big last summer and this year checks return in punchier shades. Ghost, Sister Jane, Plumo and Damson Madder all have black and yellow check dresses in everything from smock-fronted to silky silhouettes.
Cefinn’s prairie-style Suki dress (£270, shop here) and Kitri’s belted frill collar Lori dress (£165, shop here) both work well with tan boots and a cardigan for work, and white plimsolls at the weekend.
Dopamine dresses
What better way to inject joy into our clothes than with a dopamine-inducing hit of colour? Take inspiration from Kate’s riotously colourful royal tour wardrobe and embrace unabashedly saturated shades for spring.
Essential Antwerp’s neon pink oversized mini (£220, shop here) looks great paired with biker boots and a tan, while Sandro has a double-breasted woven mini in a deliciously bright apple green (£299, shop here) made from 100 per cent eco-viscose.
Denim days
You probably haven’t worn a denim dress since that Topshop one you bought as a teenager, but for summer ’22 they’re back in a big way. For a grown-up way to do the Y2K mini, try French label Sezane’s belted Cherine dress (£150, shop here) or Reformation’s utilitarian brown button-front number (£200, shop here).
Kate Spade’s deep indigo puff-sleeve midi (£295, shop here) is polished without being overly formal, while John Lewis has a tiered long-sleeved denim dress in a super lightweight cotton blend (£59, shop here). For something sustainable try the denim collection RIXO dropped in January, which features several lovely long-sleeved midi dresses with floral embroideries and sailor collars.
Dot and dash
Off to a wedding? Nautical stripes and polka dots are an excellent alternative to florals in formalwear, and LK Bennett’s summer collection is brimming with excellent dotty and stripy print smart-casual options.
Its Mathilde polka dot silk tea dress (£350, shop here) oozes Thirties-meets-Seventies elegance with a rounded white collar and sparkling crystal buttons, while the nipped waist and floaty midi skirt on the white and green stripe Marcellin silk dress (£399, shop here) will flatter most body types.
