When it comes to the best dresses, these are always the easiest things to wear to ease yourself out of summer and into cooler temperatures. Luckily, this year's autumn midi dresses are built for just such things – and they'll even be great for the colder winter weather, too.
Unlike the warmer months, where long summer dresses take centre stage, dresses with sleeves and midi hemlines become the norm once temperatures drop and the seasonal changes are set in motion. Even the best slip dresses and bodycon dresses can be utilised during the autumn season and can be paired with a leather jacket or trench coat. The options for chic transitional fashion are ultimately endless.
Keep reading for the key autumn midi dresses for 2023 - some of which will already be in your wardrobe - and notes on how to wear them from now until next spring.
The Cord Dress
If you want a dress that's going to keep you warm as the temperatures drop, corduroy is always a good idea. This season more than previous years, there's an abundance of cord styles, from shorter hemlines to midi lengths. Nobody's Child's style has already sold out, it's been so popular, while other great examples can be found at M&S, Monsoon and Aspiga.
www.nobodyschild.com
Description
One of many things that Nobody's Child does so well is length – the brand's 'midaxi' styles hit at just the right point on your leg to ensure they're as flattering as possible. This dress is easy enough to wear all day, every day but still feels more special than your average day dress.
www.aspiga.com
Description
Made from responsibly-sourced cotton, Aspiga's dress has a lovely silhouette with just the right amount of stretch in it. Available in this glorious wine colour or in teal, wear with heeled boots and tights for extra warmth.
www.monsoon.co.uk
Description
Swap your lighter workwear for this shirt dress. You could even layer a fine knit roll neck underneath when it's really cold – and just hope the office heating isn't on full blast.
The Denim Dress
A denim dress will be one of the hardest-working pieces in your wardrobe because of its year-round wearability. Style with two-strap sandals in summer and knee-high boots in winter. As just seen at Copenhagen Fashion Week, it can also look great with a denim jacket over the top – think of it as the new and improved Canadian Tuxedo...
aligne.co
Description
There's a reason why Aligne's denim midi has sold out more times than we can count – it's comfortable, easy to wear, made with 100% organic cotton and produced with 50% less water than regular denim. Buy it while you still can.
www.thereformation.com
Description
Wear this on its own while it's still (sort of) warm and then layer over fine knit polo necks with knee-high boots for autumn.
The Silky Dress
From Loewe to Tove, liquid silk dresses appeared on the autumn/winter 2023, reminding us that simplicity can still dazzle. The best news? The new cohort couldn't be easier to wear.
If you’re heading out-out but it’s cold, the silky dress, with its long sleeves and swooshing hemline, is your best bet with a blazer. Wear with flat-pointed pumps now and slouchy knee-highs later.
www.ghost.co.uk
Description
This is one of those multi-functional dresses. If you add heels, it'll work for the evening, if you add chunky boots and a teddy coat, it'll become a day dress.
shop.mango.com
Description
Say hello to your new party piece. The flared sleeves make this extra special – you'll want to wear it to every event from now until Christmas.
The Sweater Dress
The knitted dress has become a seasonal power player – and this year is no different. Ganni's blue mohair midi was spotted several times during Copenhagen Fashion Week recently, proving that it works with trainers, heels, on its own and under jackets.
For peak cosy points, double your dose of wool by wearing a chunky cardigan around your shoulders.
www.ganni.com
Description
This dress was a hit at Copenhagen Fashion Week, where it proved to be surprisingly versatile. Style yours with trainers by day and heeled boots for evening.
www.cos.com
Description
Slightly oversized without being too big, this dress will soon become the thing you want to wear every day throughout autumn/winter.
The Winter Floral Dress
You could barely move without encountering grungy florals on the AW23 catwalks. Jil Sander, Erdem, Carolina Herrera, Emilia Wickstead and Balenciaga were just some of the champions of this moody take on blooms.
Look for all-over pattern or just a smattering of petals and add heeled ankle boots.
www.nobodyschild.com
Description
The square neckline and shirred detailing make this midi more interesting than some of its counterparts. While it'll be great under a chunky knit in the winter, you could even dress it up now for any late summer weddings.
rixolondon.com
Description
The ease of this will make it a dress you pull out time and again. Wear on its own or try under a knitted vest for casual weekend vibes.
The Slip Dress
Bottega Veneta, Nensi Dojaka and No.21 showed off a range of (mostly) sheer slips for the new season. Granted, this is not the most wearable of items but you don't have to opt for transparent fabrics. Also, the beauty of the slip is its layering potential – add cardigans, tights and oversized blazers, which you can then shed for party season.
www.stories.com
Description
Most of the catwalk slips were lingerie-inspired. Channel the trend in & Other Stories' silky midi, with straps that are (praise be!) wide enough to accommodate any bra.
www.mytheresa.com
Description
Brown, in all its guises, is big news for autumn/winter. This dress is the most glorious shade – add a trench coat and chunky boots for rainy days and then swap for barely-there heels and gold jewels when you need to make an entrance.