The versatile dress edit

Okay so maybe not quite ‘all-weather’ but with chunky boots, pulled up socks and chunky flats in style currently, the day dress has never been so versatile. Layer with a poloneck underneath, throw a jumper over the top or wear your toastiest tights and boots – the looser the dress the better, generally. And the best thing about these is that they will take you through to spring and summer easily (I can’t wait to wear this Topshop dress with chunky tan flats on holiday).

The good news is there are so many good versions out there right now, so I’ve edited it down for you:

I feel like this dress didn’t ‘have’ to come with a matching scrunchie but here we are. I picked this because it has long sleeves, has a real William Morris vibe and would look great with trainers as well as chunky boots, or with sandals for a fancy dinner. It has real ‘Little Women’ potential, too – try with navy and burgundy accessories to give it a real Jo March feel.

Aaah, the H&M dress of dreams. Already almost sold out online but I have seen lots instore. My heart is drawn to the bubblegum pink one but do you know what? It didn’t doo much for me when I tried it on. I actually would recommend going for the black version for longevity and just mix up with your accessories – try leopard print or bright trainers.

I’m such a sucker for green dress and this one is truly love at first sight.

This dress seems expensive for what it is, but I find that Cos uses great quality items and their clothes just last in a way that most other brands’ clothes don’t. You get what you pay for and this dress, in my opinion, is sublime. There is also, however, a more affordable cotton version here.

Bear with me, as this is styled so beautifully on the Zara site with a prairie blouse underneath and chic black sandals – it just makes me want to ditch my boyish jeans and crew-neck uniform for good and be this lady. It definitely has holiday potential, too.

Vintage florals are really calling to me at the moment (I blame Charlotte Jacklin) and I adore the shape of this one – Kitri is a great place to look for dresses, in general (and you won’t worry that everyone will have the same, a la Zara).

And speaking of Zara, here’s another lovely dress that hopefully you won’t see everyone in. I like the sheen on this one and think it will really come alive when it’s toughened up with black.

I’m always on the look out for a great off-white dress and this might be it. Loose, flowy and looks good with Converse? It ticks a lot of boxes, and would look way more expensive if worn with darker leather, like a khaki or tobacco cross body bag.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t looked at Warehouse for ages but I just thought I’d browse for this post and found so many gems (including a retro bikini which I really don’t need at all!) – I love this cotton poplin dress – the frills, the fabric, the hemline.

I usually use cut-outs for galleries but I felt this dress also needed an ‘on’ model shot, too – I love the trapeze lines on this dress.

I kept seeing this online when researching this article but it looked short but after seeing it on the site, I take it back, it’s wonderful.