5 Pretty Dresses To Kick-Start Summer, From €60

These fresh dresses from Marks & Spencer, Queens of Archive, Aligne and Rixo have caught our eye …

Fashion has been all about separates but we’re re-entering the era of the dress, according to those in the know. “We talk about our dresses as ‘chuck-on dresses’ because you just pull them on and feel great,” says Ginny Seymour, CEO of Aligne. A recent preview of the new Aligne collection revealed the Harley dress, below, which – while at first glance looks like separates – is a dress with an inbuilt waistcoat. It’s apt as our appetite for easy, wearable clothes has never been more intense.

It’s funny: after five-plus years of watching the influencer-sphere profess its love for luxurious staples going back to dresses feels quite maximalist – indulgent, even. (Not that we’d abandoned them altogether, however, bar wedding-guest or event dressing, our enthusiasm had waned slightly.) After all, the cost-per-wear on a luxe printed dress is far higher than, say, an investment jacket, or a pair of jeans that can be re-worked and re-worn multiple times a week. Maybe that’s the point: if we’ve overindulged in anodyne minimalism, an outré dress acts as a much-needed palette cleanser. Fizzy on the tongue, with a distinctive aftertaste. See the array of bold dresses which graced the catwalks for SS26 that included sheer fabrics, Harlequin-inspired getups and bolshie primary colours.

As much as we want a statement, the reality is that, after a spring spent in drawstring jeans, we are firmly creatures of comfort. Seymour has the solution, she proffers, with Aligne’s relaxed dresses that don’t restrict the body but still have polish. A fuss-free, low maintenance shape is everything, she advises. “[With the Harley dress] you don’t have to think about bra straps or anything else. You can have a roast dinner and still feel good afterwards,” Seymour says. Win-win. Shop an edit of the best dresses for starting summer below.