Flowy white dresses that move with you

On a hot July afternoon by the water, a flowy white dress is the thing you’ll keep reaching for. Most of ours are sewn from muslin, which is a thin cotton, or from plain cotton, with skirts cut loose enough to move when you walk. Hems are mostly mini, plus some midi and maxi.

Muslin maxi wraps for vacation

Pack the long ones first. Our white muslin maxi wraps come in a floral print or in tiny pink hearts, both with short sleeves and a V-neck that you loosen or tighten at the waist. Flat sandals and a wide-brim hat at the beach. In town, a jean jacket over your shoulders and white sneakers. The long hem swings with every step, which is really the whole point of a flowy white dress, and it shows in photos.

Muslin comes out of the wash a little crinkled. That’s just cotton. Steam it for a minute. In the machine, pick the delicate program and keep it apart from anything bright.

Bare shoulders and puffy sleeves for the city

The off-shoulder muslin minis show your collarbones and leave room for big earrings. One has a fine black print, and black sandals with a little black chain bag finish it. Another carries tiny pink flowers and looks sweet at a garden birthday. For the heart-print mini with puffed short sleeves, keep everything else plain, a thin ring and small studs.

Off-shoulder cuts work best over a strapless bra, or pick one with clear straps. With white in general, nude underwear shows less than white does, and it’s smart to check in daylight by a window before you head out the door.

Christening in August, or a family dinner where the evening turns cool? Take the white midi with lilac flowers. It’s light viscose with long cuffed sleeves, a round neck and a tie belt, and the flounce at the hem covers your knees, so it’s fine in church too.

Not every white dress here waits for summer, though. The milky angora-blend wrap mini has long sleeves and a flared skirt that swings as you walk, and it goes with beige boots and a light coat in January. A white rib mini with flounces and long sleeves covers October. More ideas sit on the page with every white style and among our white dresses with flowers.