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20 Dress Brands You Need To Know About
From niche must-knows to emerging talents, these are the labels that serve up the perfect one-pieces every season.
It was less than a decade ago that every kind of woman started reluctantly swapping her skinny jeans for floral midis and prairie maxis (which had once been seen as frumpy), and more often than not pairing them with trainers (a styling combination that was previously considered a fashion faux pas).
It was around the same time Raf Simons was dipping into Dior’s iconic ‘New Look’ archive and sending unabashedly feminine dresses down the runway; Alessandro Michele had just taken the helm at Gucci and immediately put pleated midi skirts on the map; and other womenswear designers were introducing trainers into the high-fashion sphere for the first time. Runway trends always find a way of trickling down, but this cocktail of ‘firsts’ went on to shape fashion for the best part of a decade.
Hemlines have grown ever since. So much so that the reintroduction of the mini in 2021 felt almost as revolutionary as it had back in the 1960s. But while John Lewis tried and failed to predict the demise of the floral midi dress a few seasons back, this piece stays put. We can’t erase the last decade of easy ‘throw it on and look pulled-together dressing’ that has liberated women in so many ways.
We also can’t ignore the myriad labels that have popped up as a result of this shift. The likes of Rixo (launched in 2015), DÔEN (2016), Batsheva (also 2016) and Kitri (2017) have seen unprecedented success focusing the majority of their collections on the one-and done outfit. So to hear it for this humble hero, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best dress brands that are really worth celebrating in 2024, from the Australian brands that get modern bohemia just right, to the Scandi brands any Ganni lover will want to discover.
The Dress Brands To Bookmark Now
Abigail Southan is our Senior Fashion Ecommerce Editor and has five years' experience as a writer and editor in the industry. Abigail has a BA in History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Fashion Journalism from Central Saint Martins. Abigail currently covers all things style and shopping across titles including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Esquire and Red. On a daily basis, she helps readers buy better with how-to-wear guides, first-person product reviews and deep dives into the latest trends. Previously, Abigail has worked for The Sunday Times’ Style and Fabulous magazine as their first ecommerce writer and was a founding editor of Sun Selects. She has also written for Net-a-Porter, I-D, Man About Town, Wonderland and 1 Granary, and has interviewed the likes of Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa and Christopher Bailey. You can follow Abigail on Instagram at @abigailsouthan.
Roberta Schroeder is the Senior Ecommerce Editor at Harper's Bazaar, ELLE and Esquire, overseeing shopping strategy and content across fashion, beauty, and travel. Roberta has reported on everything from market-leading skincare brands to the world’s most iconic fashion pieces, while also regularly updating a range of shopping guides, including LED masks, heritage cashmere brands and niche new dress brands to know.
Roberta has more than 15 years' experience in the luxury sector, spanning editorial consultancy, trend forecasting and journalism. Over the years, she has worked for global brands including Farfetch, Chanel, and Vogue.
When not testing beauty products, trialling trends and curating content that spotlights the very best in fashion and beauty, Roberta can usually be found trawling resale sites and vintage stores for a long-coveted designer find. Follow Roberta on Instagram at @roberta__schroeder
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