Style Spotlight: Looks, Trends & Fashion Inspiration
- Shirred bodices: Smocked gathers offer stretchy, flattering fit and Parisian charm; shop Matteau or DÔEN.
- Strapless and bandeau: Slip and bustier styles dominate, offering elevated draping or embroidery for a premium Y2K refresh, says Emma Lane.
- Drop waist: Low-set waists lengthen the body into an effortlessly chic silhouette; ideal for tube tops, ribbed bodices, or sheer panels.
- Chic stripes and two-tone: Soft stripes and two-tone Neapolitan hues replace loud prints, creating refined, subtle patterning for summer wardrobes.
Hot weather days are no longer on the horizon. Summer is officially here and it’s brought with it a stream of languid holidays, a newfound sense of optimism and a desire for slipping into the season’s most coveted uniform—the dress. We could wax lyrical about the endless appeal of the summer dress, harking on about its relevance and significance in the most dreamy warmer climate wardrobes like Jane Birkin’s Saint Tropez style to Kate Moss’ off-duty looks in Ibiza. However, we’d much rather spend our time actually looking at the sunny styles saturating store floors.
The key summer dress trends of 2025 are ones that favour simplicity. Consider these balmy heroes that you can wear year after year and are impactful enough to suit a bevy of different events, be it the rooftop after work drinks, to terrace lunches and multiple weddings you have on your social calendar. Indeed, instead of intricate embellishments or whimsical prints, the top silhouettes are sleek, streamlined and sophisticated, ranging from everything to chic two-toned styles to the new ways of wearing stripes.
“I have seen strapless and slip dresses dominating,” explains celebrity stylist Emma Lane. With clients including former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, Lane tells me that the rise in these simple and subtle details comes down to our desire for hard-working staples.
“As comfort continues to shape the way people dress, design elements like shirring and pintucks are the perfect balance between ease and elegance, which is ideal for those who want to look put together with minimal effort,” she tells me. “These design features are trending again as they are just fun, so unbelievably comfortable and also all super flattering for every body shape, so I feel like everyone can totally take part which is really cool,” adds Rhea Francois, a London-based stylist who works with Sabrina Elba, Maya Jama and Nava Mau.
Given that summer dresses are a one-and-done essential, now is the time to lean into playful accessories like cocktail coloured jelly sandals or chunky pendant necklaces that can zhuzh up elegant bodices or bubble hemlines. As you’ll see ahead, the top summer dress styles of 2025 are true timeless pieces, so you can comfortably invest knowing they’re well worth the return. From designer labels like Dôen to Faithfull and expensive-looking high street finds from Zara and H&M, uncover the seven summer dress trends to know in 2025.
7 Dress Trends Taking Over Summer 2025
1. Shirred Bodices
Style Notes: Proving that less is more is the perennially covetable shirred dress trend. While we most commonly see this motif in smocked bodices, the act of gathering and elasticated fabric to create a stretchy texture has now stretched beyond this. The result is a fit-and-flare effect that is sweet, slight Parisian and perfect for park picnics to frolicking around the city. (Preferably with a takeaway Aperol Spritz in hand!) This season, look to Australian resortwear labels like Matteau and DISSH or beloved independent brand Damson Madder.
Shop the Trend:
DISSH
Toby Bitter Shirred Cotton-Poplin Dress
DISSH has just landed in the UK via a physical retail space in Selfridges, but if there’s one dress everyone wants right now, it’s this style.
DÔEN
Ischia Shirred Gingham Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
Trust Dôen’s Ischia to appear on this list.
MATTEAU
Shirred Organic Cotton-Poplin Mini Dress
This romantic Matteau mini demands to be packed for any upcoming beach holiday. (How beautiful would this blue look against the backdrop of the Balearic Islands?)
2. Drop Waist
Style Notes: The waistlines of dresses is a hot topic of conversation for netizens, but none more popular than the drop-waist trend. The look itself involves perching the skirt of the dress lower along the hip to achieve a lengthened effect through the body, but can be mocked up in many ways. The most common has been in tank styles that feature a tight ribbed top before billowing into a wider skirt, but I actually love strapless styles that fall at the top of the thigh and feature a sheer bottom. Of the dress’s appeal, Lane tells me that “drop waists create a beautifully elongated silhouette that feels effortlessly chic”. “It’s the kind of style that makes a statement on its own, just slip it on and go.”
Shop the Trend:
Free People
Onda Drop-Waist Tube Midi
Available in 15 different colours, no less.
Nobodys Child
Black and Pink Drop Waist Carmel Midi Dress
The boat neckline on this style makes it slightly more polished.
Reformation
Balia Linen Dress
The delicate drop waistline of Reformation’s Balia dress is (in part) what makes it a best seller. I’m coveting this blue and white stripe version for this season. (But more on that later.)
3. Elegant Bandeaus
Style Notes: Another small but effective design element defining the top summer dresses of 2025 is the absence of straps. Indeed, bustiers are getting more attention than ever, from the intricate beading featured on some of Paris Georgia’s new season styles to the ruching spotted on Nobody’s Child Felicity Dress. The thought of a bandeau dress might feel a little Y2K at first, but when it’s expertly crafted with considered draping or embroidery, it will make you feel and look all the more premium. (No boob tubes here!)
Shop the Trend:
Nobodys Child
White Polka Dot Bandeau Felicity Midi Dress
Nearly every Who What Wear UK editor has this mid-range piece on their wish list.
Faithfull
Hedy Maxi Dress Butter
I love these types of styles with a defined hemline and contrasting skirt.
ST. AGNI
Strapless Tie-Back Crinkled Cotton-Blend Maxi Dress
I own a strapless St. Agni dress with built-in crinkling and absolutely adore it. Consider me convinced to expand my collection with this gorgeous red number.
4. Chic Stripes
Style Notes: Consider it the answer to gingham and polka dot fatigue or a roll-on effect from the pinstripes that absolutely conquered the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, but stripes have rightfully earned their place in fashion’s lexicon this summer. Meghan Markle and Katie Holmes might have kickstarted this trend with Posse’s striped dress, however, the styles of note are more demure than maximalist. Think: soft stripes rendered in Neapolitan ice cream hues like rich chocolates, warm buttery vanillas and chic strawberries or very thin and discrete lines
Shop the Trend:
Faithfull
Taylor Midi Dress Hydra Stripe
Diagonal stripes are such an underrated pattern, in my opinion.
I love the combination of the horizontal stripes and vertical pleating for a more visually striking effect.
Reiss
Stripe-Print Handkerchief Maxi Dress
5. Romantic Sleeves
Style Notes: Since we’ve associated the return of boho with Chloé’s more sleaze-laden styles courtesy of the current creative director, Chemena Kamali, we’ve often overlooked the more dreamy takes on this trend. Slightly more rustic in shape, one of the hallmarks of this trend is the romantic puff sleeves seen on everything from Dôen’s Ischia dress to Damson Madder’s detachable styles. “There has definitely been a rise in boho,” Francois notes. “Consider a throw-on dress with a much looser fit but lots of detailing like broderie anglaise and lace!”
Shop the Trend:
DÔEN
Quinn Tie-Detailed Shirred Cotton-Poplin Midi Dress
Pair with rope sandals for the ultimate fashion insider styling take.
H&M
Tie-Detail Maxi Dress
If you’re not really into a floral moment, this muted pattern will be right up your alley.
Rixo
Maeva – Eva Floral Cream
How gorgeous is the ribbon accent around the neckline?
6. Bubble Hems
Style Notes: What do pop icons like Sabrina Carpenter, young Hollywood starlets like Zendaya and Californian It girls like Kylie Jenner all have in common? They’re all supporters of the bubble hem trend. After simmering up last season, the trend has remained a firm favourite style to wearing during scorching temperatures.
Shop the Trend:
Sleeveless Bubble-Hem Midi Dress
ZARA
Balloon Combination Dress
H&M
Bubble-Hem Bandeau Dress
Combines multiple trends on this list.
7. Lingerie Slips
Style Notes: If the ‘90s fashion wasn’t convincing enough, perhaps this year will be the time we collectively realise that slip dresses will never go out of style. In 2025, however, they’re being elevated through the addition of simple styling tricks like adding a tougher element through leather loafers or pairing with a flannel shirt. (How Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis of us.) This is something Francois has observed, too. Slip dresses make the best base for an outfit, and the stylist recommends layering additional pieces on top as “a great way to refresh your dresses for the summer season”. “Think: Slip dresses with flip-flops or an open shirt thrown over the top to give it that fresher summer aesthetic. Mixing textures and adding casual elements can instantly make a look feel more current.”
Shop the Trend:
SIR
Aries Lace-Trimmed Cutout Silk Maxi Dress
This two-toned silk dress has been on my wish list for years. Luckily for me it’s now on sale…
H&M
Lace-Trimmed Slip Dress
This dress looks like it could’ve just walked off of Zimmermann’s or Isabel Marant’s Paris Fashion Week runway.
FAITHFULL
Elsain Lace-Trimmed Cotton-Blend Twill Midi Dress
The colour combination of midnight navy and jet black is such a sophisticated one for summer.
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