These Feel-Good Summer Printed Dresses Are Pure Joy

Despite not being much of a dress person, I find that every time I put on a printed frock, there's a sort of strange fashion alchemy that occurs. No longer am I just a slipper-clad working-from-homer stuck in a never-ending cycle of moving from desk to fridge to sofa. Rather, I am the lady of the manor, an 18th-century duchess who spends her mornings reading quietly by the window and afternoons swishing 'round the house calling for more Earl Grey tea, please, butler (aka husband). Social isolation has done funny things to all of us, okay? 

I honestly believe there is something about a dramatic dress that can distract from the day-to-day boredom and, even if it's just in a small way, help us to feel a little bit special—whether it's for Skyping family or making a cup of tea. Well, with everything from florals and checks to polka dots and animal prints being embraced this season, there are plenty of options available right now, each one with the potential to imbue us with a different mood.

Who will you be today? The '60s It girl in Rixo's sunset shades or a Jane Austen heroine clad in puff-sleeve florals? An '80s matriarch with a penchant for animal print or a beach-dwelling Cali girl in floaty checks? The dress world is your oyster. So really, all I'm trying to say is whether you rediscover a love for those old favourites buried deep in your coset or discover a new style (there are plenty to feast on below), now is the time to use fashion as escapism. See you on the other side.

Scroll down to see and shop my feel-good printed-summer-dress edit.

Shop Our Printed-Dress Edit

This piece was published at an earlier date and has been updated. Next up, the biggest spring/summer 2020 fashion trends you need to know.