I must admit, I have recently found my way back to summer dresses. After years (perhaps almost ten, if I count properly) of quietly believing they were not really “for me,” I wore one again last week. Not on holiday, not for a special occasion, but simply for a very warm day in Amsterdam. It was a dress I had bought from Sézane and then left hanging in my wardrobe, telling myself I would wear it one day, perhaps on vacation. We all have pieces like that, I think: clothes that are technically ours, but that we keep for an imagined version of our life.
And then, suddenly, the weather was hot, the dress was there, and I put it on. It may sound like a very small thing, but it made me think about all the little rules we create around ourselves: what suits us, what feels “too feminine,” what is “not our style,” what we think our body can or cannot wear. Sometimes, what we call personal style is not only taste. It is also memory, habit, and a few old ideas we have carried for far too long.
For a long time, I think I had placed summer dresses in that category. Too romantic, perhaps. Too soft. Not quite right for my figure. Not quite “me.” And yet, when I finally wore one again, it did not feel like a disguise. It felt light, simple, and strangely liberating. This week’s private Edit continues that reflection more deeply: the clothes we believe are not for us, the rules we inherit, and what happens when we begin to dress for the woman we are now. But for today, I wanted to return to something more immediate and joyful: the summer dress itself.
Because after wearing that dress, I found myself looking for others. Not in a frantic way, but with curiosity. What kind of dress would I genuinely want to wear now? What feels beautiful without feeling precious? Feminine without feeling forced? Elegant, but still easy enough for real summer days?
So I gathered the dresses that caught my eye this season. Consider this a personal edit, a small wishlist of summer dresses I would truly wear now, chosen with my French eye, but also with a little more freedom than before. I hope you find something here that feels like you. Or perhaps something that gently reminds you of a version of yourself you had left aside for a little while.
How I Choose a Summer Dress
When I choose a summer dress, I look first for ease. Not something shapeless or careless, but a dress that feels natural from the moment I put it on. In summer, I do not want a piece that requires too much thought, too many adjustments, or a whole strategy around it. I want a dress that can be worn simply, with flat sandals, a basket bag, a little jewellery, and still feel considered. This season, I find myself drawn to dresses with texture, movement, and softness, pieces that bring a little beauty to the day without feeling too precious.
I always love linen in summer, especially in warm, sun-washed tones: sand, olive, terracotta, soft yellow, tobacco brown. These colours feel summery without being loud, and linen has that lived-in quality I love. It never looks too perfect, which is precisely why it works. White dresses are another summer weakness of mine. I prefer them when they have either a beautiful cut or a little texture: cotton, embroidery, broderie anglaise, a clean neckline, or a slightly structured shape. The best white dresses feel luminous, but still easy to wear.
I am also very drawn to black summer dresses, particularly when they are loose, light, and simple. Black can feel surprisingly fresh in warm weather when the fabric is breathable and the silhouette has ease. It is the kind of dress I would wear in the city when I want to feel put together without thinking too much about colour. This year, I am looking at softer shades too: pale pink, powder blue, butter yellow, warm blush. I like these colours best when the shape remains simple, so the dress feels delicate rather than sweet.
And finally, I have been drawn to a few printed or more bohemian dresses: blue-and-white motifs, soft florals, long fluid silhouettes, a sleeve with movement, a neckline that feels relaxed rather than dramatic. These are the dresses that bring a little fantasy into summer, but I prefer them worn in a very simple way.
In the end, I think a good summer dress should do three things: feel easy on the body, bring a little beauty to an ordinary day, and still leave room for the woman wearing it. The 20 dresses below are the ones that caught my eye this season, pieces I would genuinely consider for my own wardrobe, and a few I may very well make room for.
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