When the temperatures climb, you want to step into a garment that’s cool and comfortable. Summer dresses fit the bill. Summer dresses allow for plenty of airflow, come in a variety of styles and lengths to suit any taste, and are available in fabrics that are breathable in hot temperatures. Every dress-loving woman should have a collection of dresses on rotation all year round, but in Australia, summer dresses are imperative!
Let’s have a look at the benefits of choosing to wear summer dresses during our hot season, and look at what makes a summer dress different to dresses you might wear in the other times of year. We’ll have a quick look at styling summer dresses too, which you’ll be happy to hear, is pretty easy!
Advantages of a summer dress
When the weather warms up, you don’t want to wear anything constricting. Particularly on hot days, a variety of thick and sturdy fabrics are out of the question. Denim jeans, for example, are likely to stay in your drawer because hey, who can deal with the feel of hot and sweaty denim? Add to that, any top, dress or skirt made with hot fabrics (you know the ones!). And you can absolutely forget about most nylon, polyester and wool outfits, unless you’re spending summer in Antarctica! No, summer is for light and airy outfits, in breathable fabrics.
So that’s why summer dresses are perfect. Summer dresses have the following attributes to offer:
- They’re made of lightweight fabrics. This means you don’t get that heavy, dragged down feeling, which is dreaded in hot weather.
- They’re available in bright colours and light tones, meaning they look fresh and luminous compared to classic winter dresses.
- They’re breathable! (And if your summer dress isn’t, save it for Autumn!)
- They come with a range of sleeve options, which means you get plenty of airflow under the arms (goodbye sweat patches). Whether it’s an off-the-shoulder dress, a dress with spaghetti straps, a halterneck dress, a short sleeved dress, or a long sleeved dress with light, billowy sleeves, a summer dress is comfortable for those underarms.
- Some casual summer dresses come with built-in pockets, which makes them super practical!
- Summer dresses often come in vibrant prints, such as polka dots, florals, leaf prints, paisley prints and abstract prints. Prints cancel out any chance of your outfit looking drab.
- Summer dresses are usually quite simple in design, and are easy to match with staple summer accessories.
- Summer dresses often come in a loose fit, to allow for unrestricted movement in the heat. This makes them ultra comfortable!
- Summer dresses can be worn in many different settings, whether it’s a weekend brunch, a barbeque, picnic in the park, or to the beach.
Choosing the perfect summer dress
Here's a brief outline of the types of summer dresses suitable for various occasions.
Work summer dresses: When shopping for work summer dresses, you need to think about suitability for your particular workplace, as well as comfort. Generally speaking, most workplaces prefer dresses that aren’t too short, so avoid anything much higher than the knee—knee length or midi length summer dresses are most suitable. Certain casual workplaces will be ok with sleeveless dresses, but a safer bet would be capped or short sleeved dresses.
Remember to consider how your dress looks with a light cardigan or lightweight blazer, as it’s likely you’ll want an outer layer to cover your arms when under air conditioning. Closed-toe shoes are generally preferred in offices (ballet flats, closed toe heels), however flat or heeled sandals might fly in your workplace, and work with your summer dress.
Casual summer dresses: For casual outings about town, a simple shift dress, linen dress or midi dress will serve you well. These options are all lightweight and comfortable, and don’t require a lot of thought when it comes to styling. These dresses can be easily worn with sandals, sneakers or low heels.
Day event summer dresses: For bunches, afternoon picnics and barbecues, floral dresses, tea dresses, maxi dresses and print midi dresses all work well. If the temperature is high, consider sleeveless or short-sleeve options.
Flat or wedge sandals will work well with these styles. Consider a sunhat and sunglasses if you’re outdoors.
Special occasion dresses for summer: Whether it’s a summer evening cocktail party, or an afternoon wedding event, you’ll need the right kind of dress for the heat. A lot of occasion dresses can be made with heavier fabrics, or fabrics that aren’t breathable, and this just doesn’t cut it in the summer. So, look out for breathable fabrics, short sleeves or sleeveless dresses, and consider prints if you are concerned about perspiration (prints can distract the eye so that little sweat patches aren’t so noticeable).
Look at our party dresses for great midi dresses, floral dresses, bodycon dresses, and maxi dresses. Wear with shoes that match well with the dress—closed-toe heels, or strappy heeled sandals both generally work, depending on the occasion.
The beach: Did we almost forget the most important summer venue? For outings to the beach, you need something super lightweight, and easy to pull on and off over your bathers. Boho short dresses, soft cotton/viscose shift dresses, linen dresses, or umbrella dresses are all super loose and easy to wear. Wear with thongs/flip flops, sandals, canvas sand shoes, or just with bare feet!
Summer dress picks
Femme Connection has you well served this summer, with a variety of flattering summer dress styles. Here’s a list of some of our favourites.
Short sleeved or no sleeve dresses
Naturally, short sleeved or sleeveless dresses are a must in summer. Whether it’s a halter neck dress, cap sleeved dress, short sleeved dress, sleeveless dress, or off-the-shoulder dress, there are plenty of options available to ensure those arms get an airing.
Don’t like to show your arms? Many of Femme Connection’s short sleeved dresses cover most of the upper arm, but are still loose, allowing for comfort and airflow.
Linen dresses
Nothing surpasses linen when it comes to practical elegance. Linen is a much-beloved fabric for Australian women, and linen dresses offer a healthy dose of both comfort and class. Check out our range of Made in Italy linen dresses available this summer season. Available in various styles, from floaty tiered dresses, casual shift dresses with pockets, shirt dresses, and double-layer dresses, all our linen dresses offer comfortable and stylish options for casual occasions.
Boho dress
Boho dresses are a summer fave. With their free-spirited connotations, boho dresses are feminine and comfortable. You can opt for a short, floaty boho dress, or a maxi boho dress. Whichever your preferred length, the boho dress is a perfect match for warm summer picnics and day festivals.
Shirt dresses
Perfect for wearing to work and casual outings, shirt dresses offer a look that is at once relaxed, but also neat and tidy. With many available in cotton or viscose, these lightweight dresses are easy to wear and breathable, which is a bonus in summer temperatures.
Look out for shirt dresses with a waist tie, which draws attention to the waist and creates a shapely silhouette. Shirt dresses tend to come in knee-length or midi-length styles.
Midi dresses
Midi dresses are a great length for summer wear, especially when you need a dress that keeps your legs cool, but also needs to be work appropriate. Take your pick of midi dress styles. There are so many!
Maxi dresses
Though you’d imagine a maxi length dress might be a bit cumbersome in summer, many Australian women love the advantages a maxi dress offers. For a start, the dress covers the majority of the leg, which means there’s less sun cream to apply! And let’s face it, that’s a genuine concern in our climate! Secondly, maxi length dresses offer a modest option for those who prefer to cover more skin. Thirdly, Femme Connection’s summer maxi dresses are made with lightweight fabrics, such as viscose, which means they are breezy and breathable. Finally, our maxi dresses are very feminine!
Look out in particular for our boho maxi dresses, floral maxi dresses, and sleeveless and off-the-shoulder maxi dresses, all of which offer a distinctive summer flair.
Floral dresses
Floral frocks are not only reserved for spring. You can most certainly carry them through into summer! Florals offer an instantly feminine look, and the prints and colours really draw attention to the dress. You can dress a floral dress up or down easily with outer layers, but a lightweight, floaty floral dress in summer doesn’t need much else. (Why do floral dresses earn bonus points? Floral patterns are often great at hiding imperfections like stains and spills! So if you have kids, grab yourself some floral dresses and breathe easy!)
Styling a summer dress
Styling a summer dress should be simple. Essentially, you don’t want to feel overloaded with accessories in summer, because it’s all a little too much. So, like with your fabric choice, go light and practical when it comes to accessories. On the accessory list are:
Summer scarves
These aren’t compulsory, but keeping a light summer scarf in your bag is a wise idea from a sun protection standpoint. Tied in the right way, they can also look rather chic! (There are plenty of online tutorials for clever and stylish ways to tie a scarf for summer. Here’s one of our favourites: 20 ways to wear a scarf + how-to tips | Justine Leconte)
Footwear
Caged sandals, roman sandals, strappy sandals, sandals with wedge heels, espadrilles, ballet flats, canvas sneakers, thongs/flip flops, clogs are all classic summer footwear choices. Not every shoe style will work with your summer dress, and colour is important too. Your shoe colour needs to work well with your dress colour. Tan, brown, cream or navy all work well with a range of dresses.
Belts
Some dresses look great with an additional belt. Belts can create shape around the waist area, and can help to tie an outfit together. Woven belts, wide leather belts, white belts with big buckles, ruched belts with metal buckles, or vibrant-coloured statement belts—these can all work well over summer dresses.
Bags
Woven tote bags, basket style clutches bags, crochet tote bags, raffia tote bags or canvas beach bags —these styles are all great options for summer.
Hats
Straw hats, felt hats, wide-brimmed hats, floppy hats, fedoras, bucket hats, visor hats, even cowboy hats, can all work with summer dresses. Try out your look at home, and don’t forget to add some stylish sunnies to top it all off.
To wrap it up…
If you’re looking for summer dresses in Australia, you can’t go past Femme Connection’s broad range of options. We understand that our customers want to wear comfortable, lightweight and breathable designs during the warm months, so we offer just the right range of dresses, in a large size range. Enjoy your summer dresses this year!
Other summer collections
Putting together your entire summer wardrobe? Don’t forget to grab some staples from our other collections. These options all work well in the warm months. You won’t regret checking them out!
- Boho Babes
- Feeling Floral
- Wild Side
- Luxe Linen
- From Italy With Love
- Made In India Collection
- Harem Pants
- Linen Pants
- Tshirts
- Casual Tops
- Shirts & Blouses
- Tunics
- Linen Tops
- Shorts
- Boho Skirts
- Belts