The Floral Dress Is Back On Top This Summer (Just Ask The And Just Like That Cast)

It's gone from insipid to inspiring.

best floral dresses

by Natalie Hammond |
Updated on

Florals might be the ultimate perennial print, but they’ve also suffered reputational damage in recent seasons. ‘Florals for spring? Ground-breaking,’ Miranda Priestly once said, one of the most withering lines of dialogue from The Devil Wears Prada, while the once ubiquitous floral-dress-and-white-trainers outfit formula has been relegated to the ‘basic’ bin by Gen Z. All I have to say is sorry Ms Priestly, the floral dress is back and, yes, it is rather ground-breaking this time round (well, you know, in a manner of speaking).

Sarita Choudhury
Sarita Choudhury ©Imago

The A-list has been endorsing the floral dress left, right and centre. On the promo trail for the latest season of And Just Like That, not one but two of the show's leading ladies chose the print for a photocall in Paris. Sarita Choudhury looked ravishing in a custom gown by Lela Rose, which, rather appropriately, bloomed with the same flowers as the brand's name. Kristin Davis, meanwhile, arrived in a dress from one of our summer dress favourites, Rixo; a black-and-fuchsia design with a ruffled neckline that's still available to buy for £495.

Kristin Davis
Kristin Davis ©Imago

This just goes to show that floral dress season is officially open for business. Ashley Graham gave it the green light earlier this spring, of course, when she popped out wearing a thigh-high ruched mini covered in soft-focus florals from Collina Strada. Ditto the catwalks, who made a case for a new kind of floral, rebranding the print with a ditsy spin that was featured in so many spring/summer collections that even the most botanically-opposed fashion editors were forced to sit up and pay attention.

Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham ©Getty

At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson’s floral made its not-so-subtle mark across a series of hoop-skirted frocks that were brought down to earth by humble footwear like hi-tops, ever-popular loafers and brogues. (The overall effect? A modern take on William Morris.) Jil Sander, meanwhile, printed a patent leather coat with spriggy bouquets of wild-flowers. Prada’s first look out of the gate was a re-imagination of the floral slip dress (bow-tied at the shoulders and semi-sheer), while Emilia Wickstead gave low-slung skirts and the briefest crop tops a hint of the Chelsea Flower Show, with a print that resembled a romantic cascade of stems captured mid-fall.

Emilia Wickstead
Emilia Wickstead SS25 ©Emilia Wickstead

Even labels that don’t specialise in girlishness or flounce gave the humble floral its flowers this season. Acne Studios went a step further than ditsy, sending a pair of digitally-printed boots down the catwalk that would definitely trump gardening clogs. Collina Strada took the floral into the future with one long-stemmed rose on the bodice of a gauze dress that was anything but garden-variety at its most recent show.

Loewe
Loewe SS25 ©Loewe

‘I like to reimagine traditional floral motifs, making them feel hand-drawn, exaggerated or abstract,’ says Collina Strada’s creative director Hillary Taymour. ‘I want each print to feel imperfect in a way that reflects the brand’s embrace of individuality.’ Taymour has one consideration in mind when thinking of her customer in something floral. ‘I want them to feel original and their authentic self,’ she says.

Even the high street has raised its floral game in recent years, with graphic takes every spring/summer that feel similarly unique at brands such as Arket, COS and Jigsaw.

Prada
Prada SS25 ©Prada

Authenticity is the key when it comes to wearing this season’s new-and-improved florals. You can channel Audrey Hepburn, communicating the kind of wholesome sunniness that her daisy-print frock projected in Funny Face (who wouldn’t smile in a custom-made wardrobe of Hubert de Givenchy?). Or you can go a shade darker. Lady Macbeth, after all, advised, ‘Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’; not an entirely bad call if you’re trying to bring a touch of moodiness to the table. Think of The Virgin Suicides, whose ensemble cast dressed in chintz nightdresses, recalibrated the floral as something with the potential to be subversive.

Take a look at the red carpet for inspiration on your own interpretation. Ayo Edebiri got first dibs on Loewe, wearing the brand’s new-fangled floral dress just 24 hours after it appeared on the runway.

Ayo Edebiri
Ayo Edebiri ©Imago

Despite their inspiration being of a transient nature, a good floral print has the potential to be a staple all year round. Katie Ruensumran, creative consultant and art director who documents her famously exuberant wardrobe via the handle @katieismonster, calls florals, and spotting the print in the wild, her ‘personal obsession’, adding that she certainly doesn’t save them for spring. ‘I’m keen to wear them more during autumn and winter. They can truly brighten up those duller, chillier days,’ she insists, thinking of her treasured collection of floral Comme des Garçons.

Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet ©Imago

Caroline Issa, CEO and fashion director of Tank Magazine, wears florals on repeat. Her pro tip for a floral dress that will unequivocally slay its competition? ‘I have a purple floral dress that is a pre-fall Prada. I find their in-between season collections always hold really pretty floral dresses that you’ll never see on the runway, but are bold and classic at the same time. If you pop into the shop in May/June, you’ll find them and live in them all summer.’ (For a high street alternative try Desigual, whose blown-up florals are fun and statement-making.)

Otherwise, you can sow the seeds of change by adding a floral gesture to your outfit rather than a full-on print. Issa suggests a brooch (à la Prada), while at couture fashion week, singer Joyce Cisse, known appropriately by the name Flowerovlove, wore black ankle socks pinned with camellia rosettes outside Chanel. Start now and you’ll be in full bloom come summer.

Shop: The Best Floral Dresses For 2025

Me+Em is the ultimate when it comes to grown-up floral dresses that are suitable for work. I also love the fact that you could wear this spriggy pink frock to a wedding with woven heeled sandals or to the office with scrunched leather loafers. The stretch-jersey material also means that it falls really nicely and doesn't need much of an iron in the morning (it's the little things!).

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials93% viscose; 7% elastane
Size range4-18

My favourite thing about this dress - aside from the fact that it puts a twist on denim in a way that's pleasingly unexpected - is that you can wear it two ways. Firstly, buttoned up as a dress but secondly unbuttoned as a cover-up over a tee and jeans (double denim is always a good idea).

Pros

  • Machine washable
  • Multifunctional

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials100% cotton
Size range4-20

Jigsaw's pale blue shirt dress is very Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, in a good way. I would channel her style by teaming it with slingback pumps or elevated flip-flops and a top-handle handbag.

I would love to wear this tomato red column dress, featuring one elegant stem as opposed to an all-over bouquet, on the wedding circuit this summer.

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials97% viscose, 3% elastane
Size rangeXS-XL

John Lewis Floral Phlox-Print Sleeveless Maxi Dress
Price: $71.20 (was £89)

www.johnlewis.com

Chocolate brown has been trending for a while now so if you're looking to 'summer 2025-ify' your floral dress wardrobe, John Lewis's style could be the one. I've been caught out a few times this summer with dresses that you can't easily wear a bra with so its thicker straps are most welcome in my eyes.

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recyled materials
Materials85% rayon, 15% nylon
Size range8-20

I think a mini is a fun way to shake things up in the floral dress department. I've got my eye on Arket's - a little, short-sleeved shirt dress that's printed with soft-focus blossoms. I plan on wearing it with ankle socks and loafers this summer.

Pros

  • Machine washable
MaterialsLyocell 60%, cotton 40%
Size range34-44

I would love to wear this dress to a wedding this summer, which marries two big trends in the frock world: butter yellow and wallpaper florals. Reformation's extended sizing range means this particular style is available up to a UK 28.

Any floral dress aficionado will know all about DÔEN, but for the uninitiated, the brand is the destination for all your blossom-related needs. I chose this particular design because it'll stand out in a sea of floral midi dresses, despite the fact that it, too, is also a floral midi dress.

Cons

  • Dry-clean only
Materials100% ramie
Size rangeXS-XL

Ganni has long been one of my go-tos for florals that don't feel too girlish. I like this dress's looser, drop-waist silhouette that will be comfortable and not overly clingy when temperatures soar over the summer. I'd wear it with leather fisherman's sandals or cool tech sneakers (very Copenhagen).

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials100% viscose
Size range4-16

Florals lend themselves to romantic silhouettes and this dress is one of the best examples on the high street in my opinion. M&S has gone for a fifties-esque feel, with a criss-cross bodice, inch-wide straps and a red-on-white rose pattern that will clean up on this summer's garden party circuit.

Pros

  • 100% cotton
  • Machine washable
Materials100% cotton
Size range6-20

For a floral dress that doesn't look anything like most floral dresses, Faithfull The Brand's is best in show. Its print is inspired by the town of Mandraki, on the island of Nisyros, Greece, while its satin fabrication will feel like it's gliding over the body as you slip it on.

Cons

  • Garment can't be steamed
Materials50% viscose, 50% rayon
Size rangeXS-XXL

Gap's floral dress makes the trad-wife print seem like a modern proposition with a shorn-off hemline that equal parts cool and cute. I'd wear it with sporty trainers like a Salomon.

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials55% linen, 45% viscose
Size rangeXS-XL

13.

POSSE Rosalie Strapless Dress

POSSE is the brand loved by stylish women the world over, including Meghan Markle, who swears by its strapless designs. I love the brand's take on the floral dress, which proves that linen can strike a seriously elegant mood when given the chance. Because of its busy print, I'd pare things back in the shoes and accessories department with a simple black courts or slingbacks and a bare neck.

Pros

  • 100% linen 
Materials100% linen
Size rangeXXS-XXL

I'm a sucker for a shirred dress, which seems to suit the floral dress particularly well, and think this might be the perfect version if you're looking for something classic that can be dressed up or down.

Pros

  • Machine washable
Materials100% ramie
Size rangeXXS-XXL

Ghost is always a good shout for the kind of floral dress that never gets old, with its ditsy prints and easy-to-wear silhouettes. I particularly like this one because of its delicate sleeves and criss-cross back that adds a little something extra.

Pros

  • Machine washable

Cons

  • No recycled materials
Materials100% viscose
Size range8-20

Best Floral Dresses FAQs

Are floral midi dresses out of fashion?

Floral midi dresses aren't always considered strictly on trend because they're a perennial that will be around season after season. For summer 2025, they're especially in, however, because of catwalk endorsements from designer brands such as Loewe, Marni and Prada.

Is it appropriate to wear a floral dress to a wedding?

Yes, absolutely! A floral dress is always a popular choice when it comes to wedding season - and there's something for everyone, whether you prefer ditsy prints or something more statement.

Can I wear boots with floral dress?

Boots look great with floral dresses, whether you choose a cowboy style or something more stompy like a biker.

Natalie Hammond is senior fashion news editor at Grazia. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).

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