What We Want to Buy Now: 06.21.2023

Beat the summer heat with breezy dresses. From left to right, Zara’s medallion midi, a sunny yellow from Frances Valentine and a halter top  from Massimo Dutti.

By Janet Kelly

THE HEAT is on, and if it’s not, it soon will be, along with its buddy, high humidity. In the sizzle of summer (which, BTW, begins today), tight-fitting is a dirty word. Our solution: unstructured, fluid and flowy—dresses. Our picks below:

A slightly dropped waist, tiered skirt, a slit in the round neckline and the embroidered pattern are the details that make this cotton, ankle-length dress from Zara a fresh summer design at a wallet-pleasing price of $69.90.

Thumbs up for the unexpectedly delightful shibori print on this halter top, tiered midi from Madewell. The fitted, smocked bodice gives way to a relaxed, breeze-encouraging skirt. Dress it down with sneakers, up with scrappy sandals. Limited sizes are still available at Nordstrom, where it’s selling for $118.

Love linen but can’t abide the wrinkles? That’s the upside of a linen blend like Massimo Dutti’s mid-length dress ($169) with a criss-cross back. A deep v-neckline and a flared silhouette welcome all the available, cooling air.

Known for its whimsical patterns on sleepwear, Print Fresh has moved into making flowy, lightweight skirts and dresses. Inspired by plants and animals, the boldly colored prints are hand screened or embroidered on all-cotton fabrics by the company’s artisan partners in India. The It’s a Date Dress has pockets and a coordinating belt to cinch in your waist or remove for a more relaxed feel. Also available in lime and clover green, it sells for $188 (use code SUMMERFRIDAY for a 20% discount).

J. McLaughlin’s silk-cotton shirt dress ($298) marries the traditional silhouette with a swooshy abstract print. It comes with a matching self-tie belt, but we’d opt instead for a more casual braided belt, as shown above.

A 2012 Parsons School of Design graduate, Nikki Chasin combines the feminine with the unfussy for her namesake label. A playful zig-zag appliqué frames the gathered yoke and puff sleeves on this ivory, mid-length henley dress ($388) just perfect for twirling around in.

More billowy than structured, Ciao Lucia’s Gallo dress with its charming sand dollar print is made from airy cotton, has side slits for air flow and pockets for stashing stuff. It sells for $425 at Goop.

There’s not much to this Montana linen dress from Velvet, but that’s part of its appeal. An update on the classic kaftan—with a slimmer silhouette. Lean into the wrinkles. A blank canvas makes it easy to accessorize for day or night. It sells for $238.

Although maxi dresses are a huge trend, I have not bought into them because I think the length would drag me down. If I were to buy one, though, Ulla Johnson’s Stella Dress ($790) would top my list. The cotton eyelet fabric with large perforations and floral appliqués make it look free and floaty, which is how I’d like to feel on a hot and humid summer day.

Elyce Arons, co-founder of Frances Valentine with the late Kate Spade, has stayed true to Spade’s retro aesthetic and lighthearted, colorful approach to fashion as in this sunny midi with rosette appliqués and a flowy, full skirt. It sells for $598.

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