Get summer’s sell-out dresses… before they go!
IT’S WHITE, RATHER dotty and everywhere you damn well look. Not Boris Johnson, but a £39.99, anklesweeping dress from Zara (above right). It’s got its own Instagram account – the snappy @hot4thespot, dedicated to cataloguing its appearance in ‘the wild’ – and really is ubiquitous. I’ve clocked at least one person wearing it every day over the past few weeks, while writer Lauren Bravo noted the following at Taste of London: ‘So far, I have seen four women in that black and white Zara polka-dot dress. If I spot a fifth I think I get a free prosecco.’ It figures. You see, every summer there’s a hit dress, often something with sleeves that sweeps down to the mid-calf and has a tendency to sell out. It’s super-comfortable and also reliable. What woman doesn’t need a dress that does it all in her summer wardrobe?
‘They’re so versatile,’ says Tank’s fashion director Caroline Issa. ‘From the office, just add a belt, some major earrings and a great pair of heels and you’re ready to paint the town red. A good dress does all the talking for you.’ She’s such a fan – admitting that 40% of her wardrobe is made up of dresses – that she’s collaborated with Next’s Label/mix to produce a seven-piece capsule, available from tomorrow, that includes fabulously printed frocks that most definitely tick the versatile box. The collection is inspired by archive prints and Caroline’s stash of vintage dresses. There’s something for everyone
– the cinched-waist, puff-sleeved beauty is great for wider hips, while the wrap will accommodate a bigger bosom – and the patterns are instant happy-makers.
But don’t panic if you hate prints and you’re a block-colour kind of person. A printed number is just one of your options. The ultimate summer dress, according to Caroline, ‘needs to be lightweight, no-fuss and high-impact’. Here are our five key styles for now…