True story: this dress trend is stalking me. I first noticed it pop up all the way back in 2018 when just a few cult brands like Ganni and Dôen were designing it, but then as more and more brands got in on the look, I started seeing versions land in my inbox, plant themselves in my Instagram feed, and appear on my most stylish friends to the point where I can no longer ignore it: shirred dresses are the trend that just won’t quit. Trust me, once you start noticing this smocking detail, you’ll also start seeing it everywhere you look.
The stretchy fabric makes any dress (and therefore any outfit you wear with it) immediately more summery, so it makes sense why the trend tends to come back around at the first sight of warm weather. So even though it’s not necessarily new for 2020, shirred dresses still feel like a current option and a surprisingly comfortable one at that. This summer, smocking has returned in ways that feel even better than it ever has, from dainty floral print dresses to charming bow-tie straps and all the puffy sleeves a fashion girl’s heart could desire. Simply keep scrolling to shop the very best ones and get inspired by how cool girls wear them.
The dresses from Faithfull The Brand are possible some of my favorites this summer.
The non-boring LBD you were looking for.
The kind of dress you can easily throw on with sneakers to sandals.
Dôen’s dreamy smocked dresses are in a category all their own.
I love that this one is a year-round kind of dress.
And this is exactly how we’d style it, too.
We loved the trend so much we went ahead and made our own affordable version in two different prints. Also available in more sizes.
I can’t decide what I like better about this, the lemony color or the bowtie straps.
Now that’s what we like to call big sleeve energy.
Ganni’s version of a smocked dress has a cool downtown vibe to it, naturally.
It doesn’t get any more summer-ready than this.
Proof that a little bit of smocked fabric goes a long way.
This hits on the backless dress trend we’re also seeing this summer, making it a one-two punch.
Because polka dots always feel right.
The dainty floral print is giving me subtle ’90s vibes.
Believe me, it was impossible to choose which Ciao Lucia dress to include. They’re all perfect.
Cute and (secretly) comfortable.
Well, this easily looks twice its price.
Another standout brand for smocking is none other than Sleeper.
Picnic print is highly underrated IMO.
A dress this cute that also happens to be on sale for 60% off is just too good to pass by.
