Wearing a dress just hits different in the spring. With tights no longer in the equation, it’s time to enjoy the unadulterated bliss of bare legs (or ankles!). Maybe that’s why as soon as it’s anywhere in the ballpark of 70 degrees, it’s the first wardrobe piece I reach for. It seems that sentiment similarly pervades among the fashion set, as this week alone I’ve seen more dresses on my feed than I’d ever have at the top of the year. And just in case you forgot, not all dresses are created equal.
Specifically, dresses that hark back to the days of CD players and Von Dutch have made surprisingly strong comebacks on the fashion radar. Strapless tube dresses and Y2K-inspired styles are just about everywhere you look these days—whether you’re browsing on big-name retailers Net-a-Porter or cult Indie brands like With Jean. I’m recapping more styles bound to rule this year, so scroll below to check out the dress trends that are destined for stardom this spring.
Not going to lie, seeing this trend bubble up left me with a lot of mixed emotions. Growing up I avoided strapless dresses like the plague, but over a decade later, it’s weird to say that I’m kind of loving it. Tube dresses in particular have a sort of Bond girl effect I can only describe as sleek and 100% cool. The styling trick seems to be wearing a strapless dress with black sunglasses—an outfit I will personally be replicating this season.
As someone who could do without mini lengths, witnessing the rise of floor-length dresses felt like a relief. Finally, a trend that’s thoroughly in my comfort zone! Column dresses, ie a dress that narrows as it extends to the bottom, seem to be leading the charge within the maxi length trend, so I’ve gathered four incredible ones that can be worn steadily into summer.
A trend you could probably see coming—literally and figuratively. The key genre of dressing right now is color, so expectedly the dress category has followed suit. Saturated solid colors are another It trend for spring with shades like tangerine, cerulean, kelly green, and hot pink cropping up in droves.
By this stage of 2022 we’re knee-deep into the Y2K revival, so why stop now? From cowl neck mini dresses to halter fits that look straight out of a 2003 VMA’s red carpet, millennium styles have made their way into the mix of go-to trends for this year.
It’s all in the details, and in this case ruching. The trend has made its return for another year, and while not as flashy as the others on this list, it’s certainly cool, fun and wearable.
Cut-outs are a siren call for warm weather, so some sort of variation on the trend is a familiar face on the subject of dress trends. Last year it was all about cut-outs in unexpected places, this year midriff-baring pops of skin are having a moment.
