15 Beautiful Casual Dresses and the Best Shoes to Wear With Them
Since I'm a fashion editor, I am always planning ahead. Summer may be far away, but I want us to walk into June well prepared, so listen up. Class is in session, and I'm ready to teach you the best shoes to wear with dresses if you have a vacation coming up or are lucky enough to live in a warm climate. I am known to slowly build my next-season wardrobe using the storage boxes underneath my bed and suggest everyone else does too. This is the best way to guarantee you'll walk into summer fashion with an A+.
I don't consider myself a big dress wearer, but every time I start planning my warm-weather wardrobe, I suddenly become someone who wears dresses (at least a few times a month, that is). But since summer-dress outfits are so very simple, the key to a great summer-dress outfit is the shoes you wear with it. That's where I come in.
While you could just grab your casual dress of choice and throw on the first pair of summer shoes you see, there are many different types of summer shoes and many different types of casual summer dresses to wear with them, so I'm here to provide a little guidance in case you happen to love any of the 15 beautiful dresses featured below. Keep scrolling to shop the combinations you're sure to love as much as I do.
The Dress: Baby-Doll
Baby-doll dresses work best with flat sandals. It's even better if they're a chic ankle-wrap version.
The Shoes: The Classic Ankle-Wrap
The Dress: Backless Midi
Add some height when wearing a backless midi dress via a pair of block-heeled sandals.
The Shoes: Block-Heel Wrap Sandals
The Dress: Loungeworthy Maxi
Dress this up with the right heeled sandals, and you'll have yourself a match made in heaven.
The Shoes: Textured Heels
The Dress: Puff-Sleeve Midi
The Shoes: Leather-Strapped Sandals
The Dress: Floral-Print Bustier
The Shoes: Toe-Ring Heels
The Dress: Ribbed Tank
Embrace the comfortable-chic look by pairing this knit tank dress with white sneakers.
The Shoes: White Sneakers
The Dress: Colorful Slip
White sandals enhance the colors in this slip dress perfectly.
The Shoes: White Mules
The Dress: Shirtdress
The Shoes: Birkenstocks
The Dress: Milkmaid Mini
Do as a fashion girl would and wear this milkmaid dress with a pair of equally on-trend platform thong sandals.
The Shoes: Platform Flip-Flops
The Dress: Animal-Print Maxi
Being bold is always a good idea. A statement dress looks great with classic heels, and the below pair will match any dress, so stock up on multiple colors.
The Shoes: Square-Toe Heels
The Dress: Denim Mini
The Shoes: Knee-High Boots
The Dress: Sleek Midi
The Shoes: Textured Mules
The Dress: Tiered Mini
The Shoes: The New Espadrilles
The Dress: Knit Maxi
If you're going to wear green, you might as well wear equally fun shoes.
The Shoes: Block-Heel Sandals
The Dress: Utility Chic
The obsession happening over this dress on social media is contagious. Try layering a turtleneck underneath for colder months.
The Shoes: Flat Lace-Up Sandals
Next up, My Job Is to Write About Trends—Here Are the 5 I'm Actually Running Around In
This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.
-
30 Reformation Dresses and Shoes That Are Sure to Go Viral by Summer
Get them before they're sold out.
By Allyson Payer
-
These Affordable Ribbed Knit Pieces Are Having a Moment This Summer
In every color imaginable.
By Nayiri Mampourian
-
Catherine Zeta-Jones Just Nailed Italian Vacay Style in Portofino
Easy breezy.
By Drew Elovitz
-
29 Pieces to Help You Live Out Your Fantasy About a Summer in Europe
Call me the queen of cosplay.
By Indya Brown
-
I Think I Just Found the Prettiest Dress Trend of 2023, Hands Down
One of them just went viral.
By Ana Escalante
-
Social Media Doesn't Lie—Everyone Is Wearing These 7 Brands This Summer
Add them to your Saved folder.
By Jasmine Fox-Suliaman
-
16 Chic Pieces That Will Wow the Crowd at Your Next Summer Party
For sunny days and starry nights.
By Raina Mendonça
-
Summer Sale Season Is Here, and I'm Thankful These 16 Items Are Part of It
Fashion, beauty, and home steals ahead.
By Raina Mendonça