There’s A New Kind Of Floral Dress For 2024: You Can Shop It Now, Just In Time For Summer

In February 2023, John Lewis essentially announced the beginning of the end for one of the nation’s favourite items of clothing: the floral dress. They’d simply reached saturation point, frankly becoming as garden-variety as it gets. It was time to ‘move on’, Queralt Ferrer, John Lewis’s fashion director, told one newspaper. A year later, there are tentative signs that, once again, they’re blooming. Mytheresa currently has more than 4,000 dresses on its website, 10% of which are floral. The percentage is very similar at Net-a-Porter, meanwhile, where a cursory glance at the florals on offer prove they’re anything but formulaic. The message? Floral dress season is here, but not quite as you know it.

If we rewind to the catwalks in September, designers presented a glut of new-fangled florals as part of their spring offerings. At Burberry, a bouquet of daisies bloomed across the sporty velvet dress worn by Edie Campbell, giving the weed something of a boost. Over at Erdem, blue-tinged roses swelled across the off-the-shoulder sleeve and the skirt of a cinch-waist dress, giving it a slightly ‘off’ feeling that meant it definitely wasn’t ‘trad wife’.

Fast-forward six months and the floral dresses hitting shop floors are less insipid, more inspiring. At M&S, where perennials always pack a punch, it’s abstract florals that are predicted to capture the imagination of customers. ‘Print is incredibly important to our customer and as we move into spring, the way she incorporates it into her wardrobe is evolving,’ says Lisa Illis, head of womenswear design. ‘We're adopting a fresh view on botanicals, re-imagining classic floral patterns with distorted, graphic and silhouetted designs, offering a modern take, which is different to the traditional ditsy prints and feels authentic and relevant for 2024.’ (Hush’s Skye turquoise slip dress, complete with a watercolour floral that’s blurred around the edges, also plays into the idea of a slightly more subversive floral.) It’s RIP ditsy (or anything chintzy that you would otherwise find on a comforter).

Another botanical trend worth bookmarking is the print of a single flower stem - in a word: chic - instead of a wallpaper design that’s busy on the eye. As one of the hardest species to cultivate at home (so they say), the orchid has emerged as the best in show. Louisa Ballou’s slim maxi dress with thigh-high splits at either side is printed with a Caladenia, otherwise known as a spider orchid, whose slender hot pink petals stretch from neck to ankle.

If you’re perfectly satisfied with the floral dress you already own, thank you very much, perhaps you’re wondering how to wear it now. At Paris Fashion Week, Susie Lau packed the pleated, pussy-bowed and poppy-printed dress from Balenciaga, wearing it with the simple yet effective combination of tights and square-toed Mary-Janes. The effect was pleasingly moody - and, while you might not be able to resist the siren call of bare legs for long, the good news is that you can achieve a similar effect with black ankle socks and thick-soled brogues when spring has truly sprung. Another easy way to give your blossoms some bite is by styling it with something unexpected (think: a baseball cap, a leather blouson or a studded belt).

Miranda Priestly famously dealt the first blow to florals, with the withering line, ‘Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.’ Fair enough. But this season’s floral dresses have still got the green shoots of something great.

Shop: The Best Floral Dresses For 2024

Are floral midi dresses still in fashion?

I'm glad you asked! The fact is, floral midi dresses will always be ubiquitous - and quite right too. They're so easy to wear in summer, when you don't want to spend ages getting dressed every morning, and, as you can see from the selection above, there really is something for everyone. The key to making your floral dress look on-point this season is to either choose a botanical that's a bit off the beaten track (like the orchid) or to simply put some thought into how to mix up the styling ever so slightly. Instead of ballet pumps or white trainers, why not try ribbed socks and fisherman's sandals or cowboy boots or a chunky-soled loafer? And instead of a denim jacket, reach for a leather aviator, a khaki bomber or even an oversized blazer with a sweater tied around your shoulders.

Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).