The 3 Printed Dresses That Can Carry You Through the Rest of Summer

Summer dresses are just about the easiest thing to throw on in the extreme circumstances the season is known to bring, such as oppressive heat, limited packing space on weekend getaways, and quick social transitions (i.e., beach to lunch or pool to cocktails). Prints are just as essential, letting the one piece of clothing speak for itself when you really don’t have the energy to pull together a more elaborate look or strong accessories. Now, I’m not saying that anyone needs a full printed dress wardrobe for this fleeting season, but three silhouettes have gotten me through several summers (including pregnant ones!) and could make up an easy packing list for a 48-hour turnaround using just a weekender. Adding some creative layering and switching up accessories can also give these three pieces more longevity throughout the season or on your quick trip. Either way, the prints are key to making all of these shapes really pop, so even if that may not be your thing, try to embrace it, even just for the sake of short-lived summer. Here’s my case for these three essential dresses for summer styling.

A Short Printed Tunic Dress

One of my go-to’s is this Christy Dawn seashell print dress from last summer, and I’m sad to report that it’s kind of hard to track down secondhand, but the vibe of the dress is totally right for right now. Kind of a tunic, kind of a nightgown—I’d never call it a beach coverup, but I definitely have worn this to the beach, and I’ve also worn it out to a nice dinner. The flirty length is so freeing, and the long sleeves help it not feel too bare. I sized one size up to make sure there was good airflow, so that’s something to consider. The less fabric touching my body, the better on super duper hot days. It’s also comfortable enough for napping in, if the mood strikes. Because it’s pretty short, I prefer to wear it with a boat shoe during the day or a dressier metallic flat sandal at night, and with a great necklace for the scoop-neck shape. I’ve also layered it over a pair of black capris or baggy jeans for a totally different vibe to really stretch out its styling possibilities.

A Printed Shirt Dress

I have waxed poetic in this column many times about shirt dresses, and I still stand firmly by them. I have so many for all seasons and in various fabrics, but one in a cheerful floral print? Unmatched. I wore this cotton Marni one for the past four summers, including during my pregnancy. While I definitely sized up then, it still works now, and I do think sizing up is better for this shape anyway. If it’s too fitted, it becomes constricting and a little too retro. A little bigger is easier and breezier to wear and ends up looking effortlessly “cooler” in less casual situations like for summer cocktails or a brunch event. If the length is a little longer than mini, it can be worn with a little elevation like a wedge or flatform to style it a little dressier. Unbutton the bottom half of the buttons, and it can serve as kind of a cool layer over shorts or totally unbuttoned over swim to get more mileage from this shape on vacation.

A Long Printed Slip Dress

This silhouette, especially in a playful print, is the ideal vacation wardrobe piece. You can get multiple wears from it by doubling as a skirt with creative layering (like I did with this thick cotton stripe longsleeve in the photo above) and because of that, I would dare to even suggest it as a super chic travel look since it can keep your legs covered in airplane air conditioning and is much lighter than pants when you arrive to your destination and strip off your top layer to go straight to lunch after landing. This Marc Jacobs one was part of a re-issue of some of his Perry Ellis Grunge Collection pieces (IYKYK), and the batik-inspired print works for pretty much any occasion from brunch to cocktails, and the side slits are sexy and breezy. I also found slip dresses very comfortable and forgiving during a summer pregnancy, so there’s a bonus there.