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!

I’ve had that blue one delivered today. I’m 5,4 and size 12. It’s deffo for a taller thinner person. The skirt is more full than it looks in the photo. I looked like a right nob

Next have some nice options

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su359865/aw9311
https://www.next.co.uk/style/su769554/y13551

I know this is an unpopular opinion but I think you’d be better off pooling your money and buying 1 or 2 really good dresses. A well made good quality dress will be something that will last you years. I have probably 3 good dresses that I wear on repeat- I add a cardigan/blazer/scarf/t shirt or shirt underneath to make them different. And I’m quite happy to rewear things constantly. Failing that I think you’d get some really nice things on vinted for £20 a pop. I filter by brand- I’ve picked up a Margaret Howell skirt for £30, a Roland Mouret dress for £40 etc.

https://www.monsoon.co.uk/blair-embroidered-frill-midi-dress-black-20008190001.html

Try looking on Next clearance and filtering for your size. Lots of bargains and lots of brands. Have them delivered to your local store, try and if no good can return there and then.

I also rate H&M. Lots of good quality cotton if you get in early enough.

Blue Vanilla website has some stuff that may suit too.

Happy hunting.

Have a look in charity shops, OP. There are some around where all items are £3 or under. Our local one has loads of dresses in, for £3 each

I meant to add, I got a Self Portrait dress for £3 in a charity shop

Look on new look op.

https://www.finerylondon.com/collections/sale-dresses?filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=25&sort_by=price-ascending

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7yRWtyF41vIjQWUTzRWX5w&ved=2ahUKEwi0jNCdz-mUAxVFRvEDHRq7BPIQFnoECCMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1o80TzX0XkLJrh83b_sXvy

These two ladies are amazing. Great tips on how to style from Claire on insta too. Might not help directly with an actual dress though!

You could buy one or two instead of four or five?

All well and good until I’m just cycling through the same two dresses for everything - work, leisure, travel

They look good! Matalan also have some bargains and surprisingly H&M too when you’ve dug through the tiny scraps of fabric!

Things have become so expensive. The other day I braced myself to look for a pair of shorts. The onli ones I liked were £89. When u look for recommendations on here, often people post items that cost more than I can afford- 100 pound plus for shoes etc!

Yes it’s actually baffling. I don’t know when £45 for a summer dress became normal but it’s insanity!

I think sadly £40 is not much for a quality dress.
Roman have a big range and often less but you can tell in the fabric and quality.

vinted is great if you know what you like

i think other places you can normally tell with cut and fabric when it’s cheaper so might not be worth it

Try Roman - really good quality too. Easy to order online and often have codes to use. Sizing is very accurate. I’m a Roman convert.

Also I’ve just bought some lovely summer dresses from Mountain Warehouse no less - all under £20.00.

Yeah they seem quite happy to give out codes!

Next or
bloomchic?

I also get most of mine on vinted

You could pay that for a dress in Topshop 20 odd years ago, so the question is more how did clothing become so cheap for a time.

Me too

I’ve got some from Tesco and Asda this year - all under £30 and good quality

Presumably you also have clothes that you are currently wearing so I don't really understand.

Also, there's nothing wrong with wearing the same clothes for different occasions/ days.

If you can't afford lots of new clothes at once then surely just get a few at a time and build a collection of better quality things slowly, as and when you have money.

If you buy supermarket/ primark stuff it's just false economy and you'll have the same issue next year or the year after.

wrinkly I totally agree. I also think I used to think I didn’t deserve nice things for myself. Probably not consciously but I’d happily spend money on other things but think that £150 for a dress for me was frivolous. I started saving for a while and buying one or two really considered things at a time and have invested in some nice coats, trousers, shirts etc that I really love. I have a much smaller wardrobe now but I wear my clothes constantly and always feel much more confident. I also do buy second hand a lot but am equally fussy about what I’ll choose.