These Are the Cool Dress Styles Fashion People Reach For in NYC, L.A., and Paris
It's officially dress season, so the options are endless at the moment. This can be a daunting task, but narrowing down options that fit your current tastes can be a huge help. My personal style hovers somewhere between classic minimalism and fashion-forward with a whimsical touch, so that's what I set out to find during my recent search for a cool new dress (or two or three). As with most new purchases I plan on making, I like to check in with my top style muses in some of my favorite cities for a little inspiration on what to buy and how to style it.
Three cities I often look to for inspiration are NYC, L.A., and Paris. I did a quick scroll through my Insta follows in those cities with dresses in mind and knew exactly what I wanted to track down. From simple slip dresses to summer-ready knit options and standout prints, I found three dress styles that fashion people in each respective city are reaching for this season. Ahead, peruse my top picks and get some stylish outfit inspiration along the way.
NYC: Maxi Slip Dresses
The interest in '90s-inspired maxi slip dresses is rampant globally, but fashion people in NYC are overwhelmingly fans of the style. The dress is effortless and super easy to style for casual days or formal occasions, making it a go-to favorite.
L.A.: Open-Knit Dresses
The naked-dressing trend is in full swing, and open-knit dresses are part of the craze. You can wear the style year-round, but it reigns supreme in the spring and summer months. Wear one to dinner, on vacation, to the pool, or even on your next beach trip.
Paris: Animal-Print Dresses
Leave it to the women of Paris to give statement animal-print dresses the chic French treatment. If you're looking to take a break from your usual solid-hued dresses or floral dresses, keep these standout printed options top of mind.
Next: I'm Finally Embracing My Anti-Color Tendency—These Cheap Neutral Picks Stand Out
Jennifer Camp Forbes is currently the shopping updates editor at Who What Wear, where she has worked in a variety of capacities for over a decade, including creative director and various editor roles. She’s well-known as a shopping expert that’s sought out for advice and insight on the latest trends, outfit ideas, and fashion picks thanks to her thoughtful shopping roundups, digital moodboards, and extensive knowledge of up-and-coming brands, plus the new arrivals sections of the chicest retailers. Jennifer has had a lifelong interest in fashion which led her to intern at Harper’s Bazaar as an undergraduate. Later, while working towards her masters degree in psychological counseling at Columbia University, she founded two digital fashion publications: Le Fashion and Olsens Anonymous. The popularity of both sites grew and after graduation she decided put her plans to become a therapist aside to pursue a career in fashion. While she has called Los Angeles and New York City home in the past, she currently works remotely from Massachusetts. When she’s not obsessing over and writing about her latest fashion finds, she is delighting in raising two little ones with her highschool sweetheart, perusing TikTok religiously, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, creating abstract photographs, and eating the best Mexican food she can get her hands on.
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