9 Summer Dress and Flat Shoe Outfit Ideas for 2025
As we head into summer, my daily outfit formula consists of a summer dress worn with a pair of sandals. It's an easy, throw-on 'fit that saves me valuable time in the morning (no more pulling everything out of my wardrobe trying to find something to wear), while still looking put-together and – most importantly – stylish. Whether I'm headed to the office or out with friends to make the most of the sunshine, it works no matter the occasion.
Plus, with so many sandal trends this season, from flip-flops to crochet styles and wedges, there are endless ways to keep the look feeling fresh. But what about those days when I don't want to get my toes out? Like in the run-up to my pedicure appointment.
Unfortunately, hiding my feet in my UGG slippers isn't an option, not least because of how sweaty I'd get. Sure, you could always wear your sandals with socks. Or, why not try one of these closed-toe, flat shoe alternatives – because who's *actually* wearing heels day-to-day?!
From mesh ballet flats and boat shoes to Birkenstocks and Mary Janes, there are just as many trending shoes around this szn. We promise, when paired with a dress, these flats make for just as fab an outfit!
Mesh flats are still big news in summer 2025! Okay, depending on the color and how tightly woven the mesh is, this shoe may still flash more toe than you're after... But it's a nice compromise between a sandal and a closed-toe shoe.
Ballet flats are a wardrobe essential, as far as we're concerned. Whether yours have a pointed or almond toe, are classic black or any colour of the rainbow, they'll work seamlessly with any dress in your wardrobe. Mini, maxi, casual, dressy – you name it.
If you've been wanting to jump on the boat shoes trend since the fisherman aesthetic first went viral on TikTok earlier this year but you've been struggling to work out just how to wear them without feeling like Captain Birdseye, a denim dress is the answer. Feminine enough without being too much of a contrast. You're welcome.
Often possessing a sleek silhouette, flat mules are an eternally elegant option. Despite their closed-toe design, a slip-on mule promises breathability thanks to its open back. No heel blisters here!
A dress and trainers is a go-to combo for good reason. We love how the sporty connotations and chunkier silhouette of a sneaker toughen up even the most feminine of floaty dresses. Plus, you don't have to worry about compromising on comfort!
Your fisherman sandals work just as well in summer as they did in spring when styled with a loose-fitting mini for cool, casual vibes.
The same applies for Mary Janes, with the shorter hemline showing off the shoe's signature foot strap. A simple linen shift dress will stop them feeling too twee.
It's been hard to miss the return of the boho revival, but if a stacked wooden clog wedge sandal à la Sienna Miller doesn't feel wearable (a totally reasonable conclusion to make, those heels are pretty high), turn to your trusty Birks for a flat shoe equivalent.
For an office-ready look, loafers instantly add a smarter feel to any dress, along with tapping into the current trend for corporate-core. They're the perfect shoe to make your Christmas sequins feel summer-appropriate, too.
Follow Alex on Instagram.
Alexandria Dale is the Digital Fashion Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from the celebrity style moments worth knowing about to the latest fashion news, there's nothing she loves more than finding a high street dupe of a must-have designer item. As well as discovering new brands, she's passionate about sustainable fashion and establishing the trends that are actually worth investing in. Having worked in fashion journalism for six years, she has experience at both digital and print publications including Glamour and Ok!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mother Mother refuse to 'pander to the TikTok era' after going viral
Mother Mother will never "pander to the TikTok era" with their songwriting. The Canadian rockers - who have exceeded nine billion streams globally - found themselves going viral on the video-sharing platform in 2020, after their 2008 song Hayloft was used in edits, cosplay, and creative transitions. As a result, the group dropped Hayloft II, which also became a hit. Frontman Ryan Guldemond subsequently noticed on Reddit that some people were critcising them for going after commercial success with their music - but he insists that couldn't be farther from the truth. He told "I was reading people saying, 'Oh, they pander to the TikTok era with their new writing.' ADVERTISEMENT And it's like, Huh? I don't think that's true. If anything, it's the opposite, like, yeah, you know, the TikTok thing came along and made a bunch of songs that were really unviable, commercially famous, and that was to us that sent a message like, Oh, just be yourself. Like, just write from the heart and follow your whims. And that's the best thing you can do, is to be just totally authentic. And if that means you're writing kind of weird, unconventional songs, then so be it." The 'Finger' singer insists the whole TikTok viral experience taught them to "reject writing strategically for anything". He continued: "And so I've sort of taken that message and really ran with it, because I agree. I think the best thing anybody can do, whether you're writing a song or just, I don't know, whatever in life, just to be who you are. So I'm grateful for the TikTok thing, for sending that message, and if anything, yeah, like I said, it has made us reject writing strategically for anything." Mother Mother returned on June 6 with their new album 'Nostalgia', comprised of songs old and new to mark their 20th anniversary. Stream 'Nostalgia' now on all major streaming platforms.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lockdown businesses thriving five years after Covid
Five years ago, the Covid-19 lockdown was still in force, with wide-ranging impacts that are still being felt today. For some, thought, it was a chance to try something different and launch a business. How have they fared and was the gamble worth it? This weekend Leah Sigsworth will open a pop-up shop in London's Fitzrovia to mark five years since the birth of Ethereal Jewellery. Leah, 23, from Northamptonshire, started the company in her parents' back garden during lockdown. "When I started, it was really something to keep me busy. It was for my own mental health; it was something to do during the loneliness of the Covid lockdown," she says. By September 2020, she had begun a creative writing degree at the University of Lincoln, and carried on with the business, working with her boyfriend, Hugh Walker, also now 23. "Then, when I graduated, I sat down with Hugh, and my parents and said, 'Can we do this full-time?' and we did." Leah, who was was state educated at Sharnbrook Academy, Bedfordshire, says: "I fell in love with being a business owner. I liked the freedom. It's given us so much;it's actually insane thinking about it." "We only launched on Tiktok Shop in November last year, which went crazy, I now have about 227,000 followers. "We've been to TikTok headquarters a couple of times since. It's probably about 70% of our business, with the rest through website sales and Instagram, where I have 27,000 followers." The business now employs four people, including her mother Cara Sigsworth and occasionally her father Richard and sister Sophie, 20. "We're also looking at some new external hires as well," says Leah. Last year she decided to travel the world with Hugh while working remotely. "We were also saving for our own home. We found a cottage for sale when we came back from travelling, put an offer in, it was accepted and five months later, in December, we moved in." As the online face of the brand, she frequently appears in social media posts but prides herself on always being herself. "I don't always have a full face of makeup, and my hair sometimes looks absolutely hideous, and I'll make videos in my pyjamas," she says. "I think sharing every day on social media is sometimes tough because you are sharing when all the bad things happen, so I've tried to be really open and honest. "I'll say 'Look guys, I'm really struggling with anxiety this week', or if we've had a really rubbish week because of an email a customer has sent me." Mostly, though, life is good. "I've started a brand, it's given me a lot of hope and it all happened by accident," she says. Oksana Koryak, a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, says the Covid pandemic created "a window of time for people to actually concentrate, and create the mindspace to think about something that might be a viable business idea". She says: "It was a catalyst for some entrepreneurial soul-searching. "I think we all have it within us. It's not something that you're born with, it's a combination of the environment that you've been exposed to and opportunities that come your way." One thing for would-be entrepreneurs to remember, she says, is that younger people are very "TikTok-driven". She says: "It's creating a product that people might like and communicating what it is in the way that is relatable to that particular demographic; that is really important. "I generally believe that entrepreneurship could be a very rewarding career path for many people. "Even if we are in full employment, I think it's still important to be entrepreneurial, and to look out for opportunities on behalf of our employers, or even just as a side hustle." "It's been crazy," is how Aaron Shade, 34, from Bedford, describes the past five years. He and his fiancée Sarah Ball had successful careers in sales and marketing. Wanting to spend more time with their family, they started their own business within the travel industry. When Covid took hold, it was "wiped out", so they looked for a new challenge and started SAY Doughnuts in April 2020, from their home. It now employs 18 people and has two shops, in Bedford and Hitchin, Hertfordshire "We started with just the two of us, selling to friends and family, and then it spread really quickly and organically, and we also sold wholesale goods to cafes and delis in surrounding towns like, Ampthill, Maulden, Woburn Sands, Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Olney and Hitchin," says Aaron. When they outgrew the family kitchen in March 2021, they got the keys to a retail unit that they converted into a bakery. For a year they also had a shop in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, but it closed in late 2024. "We will expand again, but we have to be cautious. I would like to be in Cambridge," he says. "I'm still normal, I still live in my same house but we've sold over £1m worth of coffee and doughnuts." "It sounds like we should be flying, but that's not how business works. "We've lost a lot in Berkhamsted and still have to live off this business with no salaries coming in from anywhere else." The business is "looking at the future", he says. "We're a household name in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with 16,600 followers on Instagram. "It's insane. Not many businesses get this far. We've lent on friends and family to get us here. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster. " Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Sisters turn to cakes and jewellery in lockdown 'People think I work in a cafe at 18 but I own it' 'We built a great business from Covid lockdown' Cranfield University
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lockdown businesses thriving five years after Covid
Five years ago, the Covid-19 lockdown was still in force, with wide-ranging impacts that are still being felt today. For some, thought, it was a chance to try something different and launch a business. How have they fared and was the gamble worth it? This weekend Leah Sigsworth will open a pop-up shop in London's Fitzrovia to mark five years since the birth of Ethereal Jewellery. Leah, 23, from Northamptonshire, started the company in her parents' back garden during lockdown. "When I started, it was really something to keep me busy. It was for my own mental health; it was something to do during the loneliness of the Covid lockdown," she says. By September 2020, she had begun a creative writing degree at the University of Lincoln, and carried on with the business, working with her boyfriend, Hugh Walker, also now 23. "Then, when I graduated, I sat down with Hugh, and my parents and said, 'Can we do this full-time?' and we did." Leah, who was was state educated at Sharnbrook Academy, Bedfordshire, says: "I fell in love with being a business owner. I liked the freedom. It's given us so much;it's actually insane thinking about it." "We only launched on Tiktok Shop in November last year, which went crazy, I now have about 227,000 followers. "We've been to TikTok headquarters a couple of times since. It's probably about 70% of our business, with the rest through website sales and Instagram, where I have 27,000 followers." The business now employs four people, including her mother Cara Sigsworth and occasionally her father Richard and sister Sophie, 20. "We're also looking at some new external hires as well," says Leah. Last year she decided to travel the world with Hugh while working remotely. "We were also saving for our own home. We found a cottage for sale when we came back from travelling, put an offer in, it was accepted and five months later, in December, we moved in." As the online face of the brand, she frequently appears in social media posts but prides herself on always being herself. "I don't always have a full face of makeup, and my hair sometimes looks absolutely hideous, and I'll make videos in my pyjamas," she says. "I think sharing every day on social media is sometimes tough because you are sharing when all the bad things happen, so I've tried to be really open and honest. "I'll say 'Look guys, I'm really struggling with anxiety this week', or if we've had a really rubbish week because of an email a customer has sent me." Mostly, though, life is good. "I've started a brand, it's given me a lot of hope and it all happened by accident," she says. Oksana Koryak, a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, says the Covid pandemic created "a window of time for people to actually concentrate, and create the mindspace to think about something that might be a viable business idea". She says: "It was a catalyst for some entrepreneurial soul-searching. "I think we all have it within us. It's not something that you're born with, it's a combination of the environment that you've been exposed to and opportunities that come your way." One thing for would-be entrepreneurs to remember, she says, is that younger people are very "TikTok-driven". She says: "It's creating a product that people might like and communicating what it is in the way that is relatable to that particular demographic; that is really important. "I generally believe that entrepreneurship could be a very rewarding career path for many people. "Even if we are in full employment, I think it's still important to be entrepreneurial, and to look out for opportunities on behalf of our employers, or even just as a side hustle." "It's been crazy," is how Aaron Shade, 34, from Bedford, describes the past five years. He and his fiancée Sarah Ball had successful careers in sales and marketing. Wanting to spend more time with their family, they started their own business within the travel industry. When Covid took hold, it was "wiped out", so they looked for a new challenge and started SAY Doughnuts in April 2020, from their home. It now employs 18 people and has two shops, in Bedford and Hitchin, Hertfordshire "We started with just the two of us, selling to friends and family, and then it spread really quickly and organically, and we also sold wholesale goods to cafes and delis in surrounding towns like, Ampthill, Maulden, Woburn Sands, Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Olney and Hitchin," says Aaron. When they outgrew the family kitchen in March 2021, they got the keys to a retail unit that they converted into a bakery. For a year they also had a shop in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, but it closed in late 2024. "We will expand again, but we have to be cautious. I would like to be in Cambridge," he says. "I'm still normal, I still live in my same house but we've sold over £1m worth of coffee and doughnuts." "It sounds like we should be flying, but that's not how business works. "We've lost a lot in Berkhamsted and still have to live off this business with no salaries coming in from anywhere else." The business is "looking at the future", he says. "We're a household name in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, with 16,600 followers on Instagram. "It's insane. Not many businesses get this far. We've lent on friends and family to get us here. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster. " Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Sisters turn to cakes and jewellery in lockdown 'People think I work in a cafe at 18 but I own it' 'We built a great business from Covid lockdown' Cranfield University
