I Wear Dresses Every Day – Here’s Why COS’s Elevated Styles Always Win Me Over

Summer dresses are, obviously, one of life's great joys. Even the staunchest of jeans-wearers seem to adopt new dressing habits when the sunny season rolls around. This is partly why we’re always on the hunt for the best high street dresses (a selfless act, we like to think), though admittedly, our wardrobes benefit most. Fortunately, our latest scroll through high street favourite COS has paid off, and we’ve uncovered the brand’s best dresses for summer.

There's the Gathered Halterneck Maxi Dress – breezy in nature, with tiered detailing and a flattering neckline. Then, there's the Bubble-Hem Midi Dress, which features a billowing silhouette available in black and ivory. Another fan favourite? The Gathered Cotton Midi Dress in an on-trend tomato red, which, when worn with mesh ballet flats, perfectly captures the effortless look of It-girls the world over. Finally, the Twist-Back Cotton Midi Dress, which is the perfect throw-on holiday staple.

One COS frock has managed to catch the eye of even the most seasoned dress wearers, myself included. The Boat Neck Midi Dress has managed to dominate the dress discourse for two reasons: it's incredibly chic, and it fits like a dream, courtesy of its 100% cotton construction. Available in two nautical-inspired versions, a maritime navy blue and a French Riviera-style stripe, the boat neck midi channels French-girl chic at its finest. Just add a floppy hat.

While the main charm of COS's minimalist dress offering is that you can easily dress each individual frock up or down, the best part is that plenty of their minimalist staples are now in the COS summer sale. From halter neck dresses that'll take you from off-duty errand runs to evening drinks with a change of footwear (might we suggest a pair of toe post heels?) to floral dresses that'll see you from wedding to back garden BBQs, there's plenty to choose from, and we've found the crème de la crème.

So, we’ll leave you with one question – have we convinced you that COS dresses are truly unbeatable? We thought so. Scroll on for our top picks, and snap them up before they disappear. Trust us, your perfect summer showstopper is waiting, and it might even be discounted in the COS summer sale.

Shop: Best COS Dresses

Image credit: @theallureedition / @lisonseb

Emma Richardson is a fashion commerce writer for Grazia. She was previously a fashion and beauty commerce writer for Heat and Closer, and has contributed digital content for a variety of lifestyle brands. Emma finds much of her inspiration in celebrity style, with Sienna Miller often being a major influence, and loves a pair of ballet pumps and a trusted trench coat.

Hannah Banks-Walker previously held the position of Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.