7 Summer Dress Trends Every (Literally) Cool Girl Wears

Summer has just begun and already feeling a little overwhelmed with all the pick-up options popping up across clothing categories. We have been confronted by a number of floating skirt for windy weekend outfits; combed online reviews to find summer bestsellers; scroll-shopping TikTok until our thumbs go numb. So, now, taking a step back to let the experts provide style clarity taking into account the state of the summer dress trends in 2021. After consulting with Nordstrom managing editor Kate Bellman, TikTok trends expert Mandy Lee (known to many as @oldloserinbrooklyn), and Emma Zack, owner of Berriez . inclusive sized vintage destination, we’ve narrowed down the list of summer dress trends that will be taking over your city (and your feed) from now through August. From clingy ornate sheaths to satin slipdresses, there’s a summer dress trend waiting for you below.

Bodycon Out Dress

One trend that is definitely coming back is dating bodycon view everyone we interviewed agreed that when pandemic-related restrictions were lifted and socializing became safe again, no one stayed inside. A lot of my customers hit me and say, Do you have a dress for a date? explained Berriezs Emma Zack. Nordstrom’s Kate Bellman calls it the leather show trend of looking and feeling good with the attitude it’s meant to be seen, she says. (Zack admits he recently finished clingy (now sold out), color-blocked Mara Hoffman dress: It’s really tight. I was like, I clearly lost my mind buying this [but I think its] worth my investment.)

Classic Slip Dress

Another almost unanimous competitor for summer wear? That slip dress The year 2021 comes as the answer to the modest, home-bound nap gown we all lived through last summer. They’re so easy, you can wear them inside or out, and they’re like, casual hot as hot as sexy, explains Zack. You can’t wear tight clothes in summer, you’ll sweat to death [a slipdress] feel like you’re wearing nothing, Lee added. I’m actually wearing one now.

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Dress of Resurrection Mod

It’s great that Gen Z has these second-hand moments, [and] “I think that mod and this ’60s and ’70s revival is just the beginning,” Lee said of the swingin look burgeoning in the frock world. Simple shift dresses, simple shift silhouettes maybe with the crazy psychedelic patterns we’ve seen together before base and coconut girl, he explained, referring to two popular TikTok style tribe characterized by neon colors and tropical, kaleidoscopic patterns. “I really think Paisley will be back,” he added.

Elevated Base Dress

The silhouette of this gooey dress, says Lee, is easy to spot but harder to put into words. I don’t know if it has a name, he says, but I call it elevated foundations. You take something that looks like a simple silhouette, and elevate it with a cutout, and a tie, he explains. You pick up a simple bodycon dress and there are straps everywhere. It still looks like a dress but maybe there’s one random cut on the side with asymmetrical straps here. Or, similar to a tank dress or something like that, the straps can be crossed. There may be the top of the tube and then there are lots of little strings. Bellman explains that customers can look for new details with asymmetrical necklines and hemlines, striking cuts, open backs, and off-the-shoulders in knitted or woven dresses.

Princesscore Dress

Last summer, in an attempt to cope with the household that the pandemic has imposed on our lives, we embraced cottagecore, an aesthetic that glorifies short lists of allowable diversions like hone baking and floating around the same six. radius blocks in cotton dresses like the tent we slept in the night before. Here to upgrade our wardrobe in 2021 is a royal and romantic princesscore characterized by light lacy volume and plush fabrics like tulle and organza. (While we found a way to enjoy the simple life last summer, we couldn’t wait to refresh our wardrobe with sparkles and sparkles.) This trend has grown in popularity over the course of several seasons, explains Lee, embodied by viral hits like Selkies Puff Dress and the work of designers such as Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard. Who not Want to look like a princess on a scorching New York summer day? he asked.

fishnet dress

Im loving is the mesh dress. “I feel like I see nets everywhere,” said Zack. It’s on Instagram, on Skims, I’m on Norma Kamali | last night and he had a lot of net stuff Lee attributed this to Jean-Paul Gaultier’s growing rise on social media, and seeing many in the fashion world wearing underwear or bicycle shorts under sheer dresses. Zacks agrees: I really wear [a mesh dress] the other day with my swimsuit down but, she says, customers can add a bodysuit or high-waisted panties and a Shop Arq bra. I feel like I’m back in the dating trend, he continued, when people try to go out and look sexy and stay cool.

Maximalism Dress

While it may seem obvious, many of us remember a time when streets and runways were dominated by neutral gradients as opposed to today’s print, pattern, and color preferences. Lee recalls that in the early 2010s, everything was black, gray, white. If you wear color, you are bold. Now I feel like maximism is much more popular and accepted it’s really cool to see [a] generation [thats] grew up with this being the norm. Bellman added that Nordstrom customers are really enjoying the prints during this pandemic and this season, shoppers can see recolored stripes, unique dots, cute plaids and gingham prints. Zack agrees that my favorite trend [is] I don’t know if the trend is really bold patterns and colorful prints. I love wearing shit like this, he continued, pointing to the candy-colored bodysuit he wore during our interview the hand-painted romper from Justs upcoming collaboration with Los Angeles-based bespoke trail Worn Ware because you look down and are like, Oh, this is fun.

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