Recommendations for cool, office-appropriate summer dresses?

[Mincepietastic]

So we're being called back into the office for four days a week and I think I am seriously lacking in clothes for this.

The office gets seriously hot over summer - it's been up to 30 degrees and humid. So I have been trying to find some dresses to keep cool and that would be an easy grab and go thing to put on in the morning. But I never really wear dresses now and can't seem to find the right thing.

I'm blonde, very pale, size 14. I used to be pear-shaped but with peri I'm basically pudgy all over and 32DD. I suit and like bright colours (pinks, corals and reds), but I also don't want to be overly conspicuous at work! Prefer shoulders to be covered.

If I found one or two I really liked, I would be prepared to spend up to 150. Help!

And you are most welcome to purchase it and wear it as it would appear many have

There are so many nice dresses on this thread, so I'll be ordering a few and trying to work out what style I feel best in.

Thank you everyone for the contributions!

thanks you

Popsy have nice dresses at around £40. I’m boring and just wear a black skirt or trousers with a coloured short sleeved top all year round.

Weird Fish, White Stuff .... and if you have a look in Matalan they have pretty wash and wear dresses that cost very little!

If you like a bit of colour then Scamp & Dude, although I feel like I see it a lot now. Nobody’s Child, Barbour T shirt dress with the belted waist, Reiss, Me&Em. I got a gorgeous yellow ME&EM shirt dress on Vinted for £30, only worn once, so just keep an eye out. I have a couple of Oliver Bonas and Biden dresses which are well made, again, all Vinted.

wear with trainers or I like Vivaia slip ons.

Oh I feel this so much, I went back to the office last year after years of WFH and genuinely had nothing to wear.
For your colouring and size I'd really look at Boden - their midi wrap dresses come in gorgeous corals and pinks that aren't OTT for the office, and the fabric actually breathes. The Ponte ones are a nightmare in the heat but their cotton/viscose ones are brilliant.
Also worth looking at Ghost - pricier but their dresses drape really nicely if you're carrying a bit more around the middle (same here, perimenopause is just delightful isn't it) and they do sleeve options.
For actual hot weather survival, linen blend is your friend. M&S have some decent ones and you can sometimes find a gem in the Per Una range that doesn't look too Per Una if you know what I mean.
One thing - with 32DD I'd maybe avoid the really flimsy wrap styles as they can be a bit unreliable, but a fake wrap (sewn in place) gives you the same flattering effect without the drama.
Sosandar might be worth a look too for your budget, good colours and very office-appropriate shapes.

Look on Sainsbury’s website for basic dresses, I’ve bought lots over the years (not looked this year yet), my favourite are heavy cotton pull over the head dresses that can be layered with a cardigan and tights as weather dictates. So easy and saves having seasonal clothing

I don't know whether you are in the UK, OP, or what sort of organisation you work for but your employers should not expect staff to work in rooms which reach 30C (86F), no matter how briefly uncomfortably high temperatures are reached.

Would your company consider installing blinds on the windows, fans or an air conditioning unit?

www.gov.uk/workplace-temperatures

I really like this dress but what a sad colour 🙁

I've just looked on New Look after a suggestion in here and I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not a shop I consider for my 45 year old self but they have some lovely dresses. I'm planning a wardrobe overhaul when I get a bonus from work in a couple of months so will definitely be having a look in there.

Without even clicking I knew it would be khaki. Why is it everywhere?

I really like the dress but want it in a nicer colour too 🙄

https://share.google/FFwfP0nZTIgNSPrJb

https://share.google/BpcuF9yJVfVQoAxAS

Sorry - more khaki. The other one isn’t though.

If you like the 40s style then get over to Seamstress of Bloomsbury. I’ve got several dresses from them (all bought on Vinted at a fraction of the full price!)

This shirtwaist er comes in several colours:
https://theseamstressofbloomsbury.co.uk/collections/dresses/products/lisa-shirtwaister-dress-in-pansy-print

Last summer I bought what I thought was a lovely co-ord, a kind of jade green wide trousers and open neck pull over top.
During the day, I popped to get some bloods taken at the local hospital. Quite a few clinical staff smiled and said hello, thought it was a bit odd, but smiled away.
Only when I got back to work and mentioned it, did a colleague mention that my outfit looked rather like scrubs...🙄

@Mincepietastic did you get sorted? I got some really nice dresses on White Stuff last night in their sale

https://www.whitestuff.com/p/5725/Rua-Broderie-Shirt-Midi-Dress/MID_GREEN?xnpe_tifc=4ub84._JOkY74F_dOF4ubMpsafeWaeiWhFW.ajPWauYcVG8NVusvhys1hdJLRfXcbdiArFbD4khNxFVjxfQ.OILsb.bT&utm_campaign=Order%20Confirmation&utm_medium=email