FASHION

20 dresses to buy now

Puff sleeves, square necks and long, swishy skirts make for loose, relaxed style this summer

From left: £248, thereformation.com; £85, stories.com; £199, Baum und Pferdgarten (trouva.com); £350, seraphinalondon.com

Tuesday August 03 2021, 5.00pm, The Times

Heatwaves one minute and rain the next – it’s about as easy to keep up with the weather as it is the ever changing travel ‘green list’. What to wear? Something breezy but statement, and with all-weather sleeves. But not just any sleeves - a puff sleeve dress is your best bet.

Thanks to the Cottagecore movement of 2019 and Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton, from the runway to the high street oversized shoulders are as popular as ever. You may be traumatised by the ear skimming, ballooning iterations of the 80’s. But today the look is all about romanticism and it’s here to stay.

Stick to midi and maxi hemlines for maximum modesty. At Coco Fennell they come printed with strawberries, daisies, polka dots, shells or stripes and gingham (from £149, cocofennell.com). At Rixo you’ll struggle to find a silhouette without a billowing sleeve. For a field-frolicking, fuller skirt invest in the scallop midi dress from Seraphina London. It has an elasticated scoop neck, which you can adjust to an off-the-shoulder, bardot neckline for the ultimate clavicle flash – and most brilliantly this style is pretty and practical, with it’s hidden pockets – perfect for your phone and mask (restocking soon £340, seraphinalondon.com). Or shop guilt-free, sustainable puff sleeve perfection at Nobody’s Child (from £35, nobodyschild.com).

If you’re concerned about buying dresses this late in the season, don’t fret. Opt for a black based or neutral design which will work with black or brown knee-high boots in Autumn. Layer a polo-neck under any V-neck style when it gets really chilly. But for now, Birkenstocks and trainers will work wonderfully.