Hi! Erika here. Friend of Brooke. Mom of two teens. Huge fan of Babble (and Brooke). “On assignment” for Babble with (hopefully) a little assist when it comes to The Summer Dress Hunt.
My husband and I have a trip to Italy planned this summer. So naturally I texted Brooke, “Hey! I need recommendations for good summer travel dresses!” SHOCKINGLY her response was, “Well…I need some recommendations, too.” So I agreed to venture out into the great online universe of clothing shopping to try to find a dress or two to take with me. Here’s what happened on my crusade…
First...
Any dress I considered had to check at least 2 of the following:
Packable - lightweight, doesn’t wrinkle (not ironing on vacation), folds down small
Pockets
Sleeves - I’ll be traveling in the heat of summer, but many churches in Italy require covered shoulders. Yes, I can bring a shall, but something with sleeves would be great.
Affordable - I stayed under $100
Bonus: Doesn’t require a bra (it will be hot, plus “the right bra for that dress” is just one more thing to pack)
Second...
I tried to get outside my shopping box a bit and looked at different price ranges, different online stores, shopped in-person, and considered new AND used. I also tried very hard to be open to styles I’m not normally drawn to, often letting those algorithms do their thing to me.
A few things to note:
I have a small chest (A cups), so the “no bra” thing won’t work for everyone. Any dresses with built-in support will be noted.
I simply love a good summer outfit, sleeveless dresses and rompers included, so I did veer off course here and there, but it was worth it.
Prices listed below are what I paid. If I know it has changed, I’ll note that.
Below are the dresses (and rompers) I purchased along with side-by-side pictures of the dress on me and the company’s online photo. I’ve included a short description and review as well as the price and a link for purchase. These really are 100% my thoughts and feelings on what I found.
By the numbers:
Purchased 19 items: 17 dresses + 2 rompers
Returned 10; Kept 9
Cheapest item: $9.99; Most expensive: $99.00 (I returned both!)
Let’s get to it! Here it is, in no particular order:
Nordstrom, CeCe Floral Ruched Sleeve Dress, $89 - kept
This dress checked all the boxes, except no pockets. It is made of a stretchy material that simply does not wrinkle. It’s a little thicker/heavier than I was aiming for, but still folds up very small. It doesn’t have much shape in the torso, so I added a belt I already owned and that sold me. I was a little uncertain about the tiny daisy pattern (felt juvenile for a 40+-year-old mom), but it grew on me. This was on the higher end of my price range, but I ended up keeping it.
Amazon, COTECRAM Casual Summer Dress, $9.99 - returned
For $9.99 I really wanted this to work. It’s super light-weight and doesn’t seem to wrinkle too easily. But it just didn’t fit from the waist up. I ordered a size small, and they don’t offer XS.
3) Target, A New Day Linen Mini Shift Dress, $20.00 - kept
Ok - here’s one place I veered off course a little. This wrinkles (it’s linen), and doesn’t have sleeves. But it has pockets and is SO comfortable. And for $20? I couldn’t say no.
Gah! I have so many wonderful things to say about this romper! First, if you don’t shop Title Nine, do it. They are women-owned and they support small women-owned businesses. From their website: “Above all, we believe in women. We are fit to run, we are fit to lead, we are fit to win.”
Secondly, if you haven’t discovered Toad&Co and their Crusher Collection, you’re missing out. These are the ultimate vacay items. I already owned three of their Crusher Maxi Dresses (pockets, packable, no bra, under $100, UPF 50) and two of these rompers (wore them all last summer and received gobs of compliments). Toad&Co came out with new fabrics for this summer so I had to snatch this up! I bought this one size up from what I normally wear - I have a longer torso and also wanted an overall looser fit. I can’t say enough good about this romper (and their dresses).
5) Amazon, BRFBM Women Summer Bohemin Midi SunDress, $45 - returned
As with most Amazon items, they didn’t offer an XS, so this fit just a little too baggy for what I wanted. The dress is very cute, but the color didn’t look great with my blond hair. However, it was comfortable, lined and did not wrinkle. No pockets, but checked all of the other boxes. (Note: This has a tiny hidden snap mid-chest so it doesn’t fall open.)
6) Amazon, Ezabelle Off The Shoulder Midi, $42.99 - returned
I really wanted to love this dress. A friend of mine wore this dress recently. It looked so good on her and when she told me she got it from Amazon, I just had to give it a try. It is very soft and comfortable, doesn’t wrinkle and didn’t require a bra (thicker material). Even looking at the picture of me in the dress, I like it. However, it was a little too tight around my tummy for me. Probably no one would notice, but I have learned that if I feel self-conscious at all about a piece of clothing, I simply won’t wear it, so what’s the point of spending the money?
7) Amazon, COVERLOOKS Short Dress w/ Waist Belt, $24.95 - returned
Something about this one just screamed “sitting in an Italian cafe sipping a cappuccino.” But the fabric was stiff, wrinkled easily and felt more like an old-fashioned nurses uniform than a fun summer dress. Returned.
8) Amazon, PRETTY GARDEN Floral Boho Dress, $47.99 - returned
I liked this dress a lot, checked all of the boxes, except no pockets. However, the fit was a little large up top. And the red color leaned more towards orange, which I didn’t love. Like #5, this dress had a little hidden snap in the center of the chest so it wouldn’t fall open.
9) Amazon, Milumia Button Front High Waist Midi, $43.99, returned
As you can see in the picture, the dress was not like the picture. It was very orange, the collar was just weird and the material was very wrinkled, which makes me believe it wouldn’t survive a day in my suitcase.
10) Amazon, MEROKEETY Summer Striped T-Shirt Dress, $29.75 - kept
This is one of my new favorites! This dress is SO comfortable, such a cute cut and fit. Pockets! Sleeves! The casual waist tie helps camouflage any tummy feelings I may be having that day. This isn’t 100% wrinkle resistant - it’s made of a soft jersey material - but won’t wrinkle like a linen. Would be so cute with sandals or white sneakers. Highly recommend this one!
11) (Brooke’s Favorite Dress) Amazon, FOWSMON Tunic Dress, $36.98 - returned
Another one I really wanted to love. Babble has posted about this dress before. It really is a great dress and would travel really well. It checked all the boxes, except no pockets. However, the smallest size offered is a Small, and it was just too big and boxy for me.
12) Target, A New Day Flutter Short Sleeve Crepe Mini Dress, $30 - returned
This dress is cute on the hanger and was cute on my body. But was nearly impossible to get on/off (literally thought I might have to be cut out of it!). There is a line of fabric buttons down the front of the dress, and they aren’t just for show - the dress literally unbuttons down the front. So as I moved in the dress, you could see my skin through the seam down the front. It was weird. I returned the dress and tried on a bigger size - though I could get it on/off easier, it drowned me.
13) Nordstrom, CeCe Floral Ruffle Hem Dress, $99 - returned
Simply put, this just didn’t look good on me. Not the right fit or color. Hated it immediately.
14) FUNERAL DRESS FIND! Nordstrom, Nordstrom Tie Waist Dress, $79.50 - kept
Veered off course…again. But after Babble’s post about having a funeral dress in your closet always, I had to keep this. I have plenty of black pieces of clothing, including dresses, but nothing that would fall into the category of “funeral dress.” This dress is perfect: pockets, comfortable soft fabric, modest length, shoulders covered, thicker material (so paired with boots and a coat it would work in the colder months). I truly hope to not need it for a funeral anytime soon, so I’m going to find other reasons to wear this dress because I like it so much.
15) Athleta, Elation V-Neck Hybrid Dress, $90 (reg. $129) - kept
This one checked all the boxes, except no sleeves. This dress has pockets, a beautiful silhouette and built-in bra top for support. No bra needed! The straps are adjustable and can be flip-flopped on the back for a razor-back look. I’ll be wearing this all summer long.
16) Athleta, Avenue Romper, $75 (reg $99) - kept
I’m a huge fan of Athleta, so when I was shopping for the Elation dress, my eyes wandered and I found this cute romper. This will be great to travel with this summer. Checks all of the boxes, though I’ll most definitely wear a bra with it because when you get into that restroom…
17) Amazon, Long Floral Dress, $15 - kept
This dress is super simple. It’s not lined, no pockets, no sleeves, but it was $15 and has a super cute fit. It won’t wrinkle and can fold up very small. I paired a belt that I already owned with it, which dressed it up a bit. It’s thin (but not see-through) so it will be quite comfortable on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, we already can't find this one on Amazon. We will keep looking for it and link it when it comes back.
18) Amazon, COTECRAM Vacation Floral Boho Dress, $15.99 - returned
This is another one I really wanted to love. A friend of mine wore this in Mexico last month and it was darling on her (and she loved that she could skip the bra). For me, it just hung on my body weirdly. The neckline along the back is elastic, same with the waist. It was longer than I wanted. And that arm sleeve…it was just strange.
19) Indy Clover find, $10 - kept
I almost didn’t include this one because I can’t provide a link or anything. I found this dress when I took my 15-year-old daughter to the thrift/consignment shop, Indy Clover. It is used, was missing a button, but was only $10 and is just perfect for Italy. I decided to include this because my mind has really been opened to the world of thrifting. All the teens are doing it, and it makes sense. There are some really good deals out there, and some really cute (barely used) clothing to be had. Plus, we are helping the environment by reusing these garments, instead of throwing them out and/or encouraging the production and shipment of more and more stuff. Yes, it takes a little bit of time to sift through the racks of clothing, but you just never know what you’ll find.
Brooke here: LOVING all of this Erika! You make affordable summer dresses look so good for these sunny days and I have always loved your personal style! I also love the variety of styles you you tried out to give us all the summer outfit inspo from the cute summer dresses, wrap dresses, bright colors, short sleeves, floral patterns and other options to hit up special events, vacations or even just a perfect choice for a backyard barbecue or date night. Best part is our summer style will beat the heat in breathable fabrics or other lightweight material. As always, thankful for online shopping options and free shipping and returns, and my personal favorite thing- no special bra required! So many of these could be worn as a casual look paired with a jean jacket and wrong shoe theory, or toss on strappy heels for the perfect dress for a special occasion and the perfect look for these hot days. What is on your list to make up the perfect summer dress at affordable prices? Will you be adding any of these to your cart and summer wardrobe and face these hot summer days in style?