Where can I find beautiful summer dresses at a decent price?

[ijustlovecoffee]

I’ve seen these four dresses and love them, but the cheapest is £42 and that’s a lot of money.

I really want a good collection of 4 or 5 beautiful summer dresses that I can wear for work, on holiday, at the weekend etc.

I am a size 18, not too confident about my arms but also I want to stop hiding them just because of silly insecurities.

I’ve got a bit of an apron belly so like to hide that with floaty skirts.

Any recommendations welcome!

https://www.newlook.com/uk/womens/clothing/dresses/blue-polka-dot-print-milkmaid-midi-dress/p/952605249

F&F and Sainsbury’s have nice dresses in at mo around £25 mark. Matalan sometimes have some nice ones which are cheap also H&M

I’ve found a couple of nice ones on Primark too, it just feels like there’s a severe lack of good dresses about!

Primark have loads of Nobody’s Child style dresses atm

Tu have some nice ones, it just feels like dressing nicely is now out of reach for me because it costs so much!

Peacocks?

https://www.peacocks.co.uk/womens/dresses?start=24&sz=24

I was quite surprised to find some quite nice comfy ones at Tesco recently (with pockets!), I'm also a size 18 if that helps. They had lots of plain midi dresses like the first one I've linked, and a few more floral ones like the second. I got loads of compliments at a baby shower last week on the floral one, out of stock online but they had some in store.

https://www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/products/323630077

https://www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/products/323624488?srsltid=AfmBOop8hckR9bRNx16m7_QodP-hvKtWYFHbq2DtZk8afzHoWK9sTLUt

Vinted

Have a look at Roman. They have a range of styles and fabrics. Their site is easy to use too with filters. I have a few I got last year and they wash well. Their sizing is accurate.

I also suggest vinted. You won’t get good quality for under £40. It might be ok ish but not good. Not anymore.

M&S, sainsburys

Matalan

https://www.mandmdirect.com/01/details/OF35548?gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1260413&campaignid=2026395012&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=2026395012&gbraid=0AAAAAD5OKP3q_5O-WAi2RZWAZu_XJ7VIU&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_vnQBhCxARIsADcZyxIdo6OGPIfERk4XWkeECGAUDDfzs-nk7020he88omnlaVuD4yJuQ84aAnPcEALw_wcB

Secret sales and m&m direct have some good ones

George at Asda

size 18 in this one:-

https://www.asos.com/collusion/collusion-ruched-thin-strap-maxi-dress-in-yellow-stripe/prd/207513541?affid=30752&_Cj0KCQjw_vnQBhCxARIsADcZyxK653x9uhMtlqe_AizYhTxGUe_PXluYRPVs8oYaRzDgX8MXPcRsaoEaAssXEALw_wcB&channelref=product+search&ppcadref=21095812988%7C%7C&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21095812988&utm_content=&utm_term=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21088969383&gbraid=0AAAAADqFjOAA9k7dKpXFJhFI5Ew7VBvah&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_vnQBhCxARIsADcZyxK653x9uhMtlqe_AizYhTxGUe_PXluYRPVs8oYaRzDgX8MXPcRsaoEaAssXEALw_wcB

I’ve had some nice ones from eBay. They’ve got me compliments. Amazon do them too but not ordered from there.

I recently bought this in red and in brown and can’t recommend them enough. Very flattering shape and great quality for the price. https://share.google/rCAn2igZ2Vro8Tiwx

There’s loads of dresses but cheap means cheap labour somewhere in the world. Pay more and have 3.

Loads of good quality dresses on EBay and Vinted

I have bought 3 summer dresses in charity shops, cost a total of £15.

One retails at £125 new. I’m a size 12 but can sew a bit so bought one at a 14 and altered it. The brands are Louche, Nine West and Tesco.

Uniqlo.

£40 is nothing for a dress these days. Prices have gone up! If you’re on a tight budget then I would look on Vinted/ebay for second hand.

Otherwise, you can try Primark, supermarkets or New Look, but it’s generally harder to find flattering cuts at the cheaper end.

ijustlovecoffee
The four dresses I’ve shown would add up to the best part of £200, not all of us can spend that on clothes, which is why I asked for help.

Ny of my friends that dress really well look around sakes in expensive shops but unfortunately it’s at the end of seasons for the next year, or they dh buy a dress monthly. I always wondered how I get it so wrong with clothes but they’d say no, you look in august for next summer etc

Out of curiosity, what would you deem a reasonable price?

I'm not belittling you, because I also find basically everything expensive and also could not afford to buy 4 dresses for £200 - not in one go anyway. But I have to be honest, £40 for a decent dress really is not a lot these days.

It's also always worth checking for discount codes. I can see an intro offer of 15% off first purchase with NC at the moment.