I'm Feeling "Pretty" for Summer—Enter These 17 Anti-Minimalist High-Street Pieces

If you've sneaked a glance at next week's weather, you'll already know that summer is arriving a little earlier than expected. With highs of 23 degrees Celcius, we're right on the cusp of warm days, and as ever I've started thinking about how my summer wardrobe will look. Naturally, I've looked for inspiration from street style, our favourite fashion people, and what the stores are offering as summer 2024 rolls around, and one aesthetic keeps cropping up in my saved folder and wishlists: pretty.

Woman against wall wears lace top with corsage, shirt and jeans

(Image credit: @allisonho)

Ethereal, soft and a little coquette—the pretty style is all about those delicate details that are charming rather than hard-hitting. There are embellishments that tie in to the style from tie-fronts to broderie anglaise, as well as more subtle design details like dropped waistlines and balloon sleeves, all of which conjure up that innate dainty feeling. This makes the style particularly fitting to embrace now, as dress and skirt silhouettes are a key component to the aesthetic, along with embellished tops that were made to be seen without the layers of winter.

Woman on stairs wears ruffled white dress with bows

(Image credit: @oliviamarcus)

With my forever wardrobe stocked with capsule pieces, these can be the backdrop to these more detailed creations, as show by Allison above. Or, they can take a back seat as I swap classic wide-leg trousers for languid dresses with soft embroidery and sweet bows. Lucky for me (and you) these coquette styles have trickled down from the high-end designers to the high street, and below I've pulled together a refined edit of affordable pretty pieces to add dainty details and an ethereal edge to all your summer looks.

Keep scrolling to shop the pretty high street buys I'm dreaming about for summer 2024.

SHOP PRETTY HIGH STREET BUYS:

Florrie Alexander
Acting Affiliates Editor

Florrie embarked on her fashion journey while studying French and History at university. Whilst studying in Aix-en-Provence, she began to write her dissertation on the history of fashion and the influence of Haute Couture, and landed her first role at Harper’s Bazaar. Following this, she interned for various publications including Elle, Grazia and Marie Claire before joining the fashion team at Conde Nast Traveller. There, she contributed to international photoshoots, styled pages and covers, and produced engaging digital content.

During a freelance period, Florrie honed her skills in editorial work in various digital and print publications including Vogue Italy and Departures magazine, as well as styling e-commerce photoshoots and personal shopping. Florrie actively pursues an in-depth understanding of fashion and jewellery, and after styling a jewellery cover shoot at Conde Nast Traveller chose to complete the De Beers Diamond Foundation course. Florrie first joinedBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK as a freelancer before becoming the Commerce Writer, blending both editorial and commercial content. Now, as the Acting Affiliates Editor, she monitors current trends, new-in styles, wardrobe heroes and how best to style them. In her downtime, Florrie can be found in her hometown of London, usually with a coffee in hand.