Forget Skirts for a Second—Fashion People Keep Wearing This Graceful Dress Style This Season

There's no end to how much I can talk about dresses and it's always a joy bringing you a selection of the frocks I adore. Today's offering? The best summer dresses with sleeves. Summer is synonymous with shrunken lengths and sleeveless dresses, however, given the current forecast in the UK (and indeed in Paris), the possibility of going sleeveless may not be for a couple of weeks. We may not be spending as much time outside as we'd like to, but that isn't to say we can't be hopeful about summer days and in this instance, optimism looks like a few sleeved inches.

Style Idealist

(Image credit: @styleidealist)

In recent years, Scandinavian influences have reigned supreme and there's been a surge of billowy-sleeved, often shapeless dresses, in addition to styles with a bohemian feel. This time of year is also when the timeless cottagecore and peasant-style dresses begin to reappear. You can't mention sleeved dresses without paying homage to puff-sleeved styles and wrap dresses (which there are plenty of this season). Continue reading for my edit of sleeved summer dresses. From the likes of Matteau and Sleeper to vintage-inspired independent brand Franks London, as well as a few high-street favourites, there's a dress to suit all budgets and styles.

Shop the Best Sleeved Summer Dresses for 2024:

Freelance Fashion Editor

Avalon Afriyie is a freelance writer and storyteller based in London. She specialises in sustainable fashion, health and the narratives of marginalised communities. She has a background in fashion show production and styling, having previously worked on The Clothes Show and with the Lyst Group. Since graduating in 2013 with a BA (Hons) in English and contemporary media, she’s worked as a feature writer for an independent publication and a contributor for Quill’s creator network. She now marries her passion for words and style, writing for some of the most esteemed fashion and lifestyle publications, Who What Wear UK and Stylist. Avalon also provides copywriting services, creative consultancy, and visual media for independent businesses, including travel guides, interviews, press releases and blog posts. Her work has been featured on Lush, Contiki, Youswim and Ohne. She spends her days writing to her heart’s content for business and pleasure, shooting on film and dreaming of residing a stone’s throw away from the ocean with her love and a pup (clad in a sweeping frock, of course). She’s currently penning ideas for a book of personal essays and free verse poetry on love, life and the stages in between.