We Tried the 12 Best Summer Dresses Under £1000

I am a spring/summer girl through and through. It’s that magical time when we get to rip off the restrictive opaque tights that have been glued to our legs for the last six months and finally get to wear our favourite lightweight dresses that have been collecting dust in our wardrobes through what felt like a never-ending winter. Most dresses will work with a pair of tights, but it’s always my favourites (usually lighter boho dresses or more vibrant pieces) that just don’t sit well.

From barbecues to weddings, there always seems to be buzz and excitement for the months ahead and, of course, more than enough reasons to showcase some of the hottest new-in dresses around. Both Hannah Almassi, Who What Wear UK’s editor in chief, and I are dress fanatics, and the arrival of spring is all that’s needed for us to start exploring which key styles we’d like to consider as additions to our wardrobes. We both have a penchant for similar prints, colours and details, but our personal styles are quite different. We’re also both a size 12 but on very different ends of the height spectrum and have different areas of our bodies that we feel more confident showing off, so our needs are varied despite our mutual adoration for frocks.

So we headed out to try on some of the most gorgeous designer and contemporary dresses out there, from Rixo through to Taller Marmo. We headed to Browns Fashion’s personal shopping area (so luxe) and Selfridges, picking up every gorgeous dress along the way. A few really stood out. From dream wedding guest outfits to timeless dresses you will love for many seasons to come, read on to see what we found.