There's A Summer Mini Dress For Everyone – Here Are 15 Styles To Shop Now

Elle

07-07-2025

Fashion is no stranger to a thigh-grazing hem. From its invention in the 1960s to its (even more) micro iterations over 50 years later, the mini dress has only gotten smaller and mightier with age.
What the summer mini dress lacks in fabric, it makes up for in versatility. For SS25, designers continue to herald this diminutive wonder, in smock form at Chloé, pelted with polka dots at Prabal Gurung and Carolina Herrera, and buoyed by bubble hems at Stella McCartney and JW Anderson. Anderson also made a strong case for the slinky satin dress – as has Hailey Bieber on at least two recent trips to New York's Cafe Zaffri – while Coach and Sandy Liang used the fabric in pleasingly starchier forms.
One could argue that a classic shift is the mini dress' most authentic iteration, since this was the shape that started it all in the 1960s. A simple black shift is always a good idea (Pamela Anderson is a fan), or consider something in leather (see Emilia Wickstead) or neon – or both, as at Gucci.
What's more, the summer mini dress can be worn for practically any occasion, from marketing-hopping while on holiday to balmy nights spent dancing, and even more formal affairs; for example, Georgia May Jagger and Jourdan Dunn eschewed the usual midi or maxi dress for shorter styles at this year's Serpentine Summer Party.
From bubble hems to Sixties-inspired shifts, airy smocks to satin styles, we've shortlisted the loveliest summer mini dresses, below.
A bubble hem lends futuristic edge to the tried-and-trued mini dress. Ground the flouncy silhouette with ballet flats – or chunky loafers, as seen at JW Anderson and Victoria Beckham.
Spotted: polka dots dainty and oversized at Patou, Prabal Gurung and Carolina Herrera. You can't go wrong with classic black and white, best accessorised with poppy-red lipstick.
The satin summer mini dress comes in forms both slinky and structured, making it the perfect piece for parties and more formal events alike. Take cues from N°21's SS25 show, where a satin shift was styled with pointed flats and a messy beehive.
The nightie dress is a heatwave marvel. Reach for smock styles in chiffon or cotton that have romantic, puffed sleeves and pretty smocked or shirred detailing, and finish things off with a generous helping of vintage jewellery.
Riff on a Sixties sensibility with a sleeveless shift dress. A well-made one in classic black will see you through decades of wear, or opt for something a little more playful, in candyfloss-pink or nostalgic school checks. Mules or block-heel Mary Janes work well here.
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