I usually start working-from-home days with a 7am yoga class and then, erm, sometimes, I might stay in my yoga pants for the rest of the day. And so I’ve mostly been investing in my workout wardrobe of late, on a cost-per-wear basis it makes sense. But on occasions when something other than yoga pants is required I’m getting that I-have-nothing-to-wear feeling increasingly frequently.

However, having been on a mission to minimise the amount of stuff in my life, I don’t want to go on a massive wardrobe-filling spending spree. And then it came to me. What I needed was the perfect summer dress. One that I could wear all summer long. That I could dress up and down. Time for an online window shop! I gave myself a budget of £50. These are my five favourites.

The Breton Striped Dress, Mango, £39.99

Navy and white stripes! Cap sleeves! Pockets! This Mango dress has them all. It’s also got that insouciant French je ne sais quoi thing going on (which is what I’m generally aiming for when I get dressed). I like how they’ve styled it with the white pumps, but the sensible part of me worries that they would get filthy on their first wear outside the house, especially with this unpredictable weather we’re having lately…

The Patterned Dress, Oasis at ASOS, £42

This graphic-print T-Shirt dress by Oasis caught my eye for all the right reasons. I’ve always steered clear of yellow (I’m just not sure what shade would work with my blonde hair) but I would break my rule for this dress, which has just a dash of neon yellow and totally works on the blonde model, after all.

The Denim Dress, Topshop, £38

A denim dress is the kind of throw-it-on-and-forget-about-it piece that is a summer staple for me. Strangely I don’t have one in my wardrobe right now (where did they go?!). The contrast side panels on this Topshop dress give it some shape and the wash makes it look like you’ve had it forever (in a good way!).

The Shirt Dress, Zara, £39.99

I’ve got a feeling this printed tunic from Zara is one of those items of clothing that men just wouldn’t get. It’s a bit, make that a lot, shapeless. Which is exactly what makes it appeal to me. I’m not sure it will work on my not-very-tall frame but as soon as I’ve finished writing this post I’m going to pop to Zara and try it on. Y’know, just to check…

The Office-To-Bar LBD, Mango, £44.99

It’s possible that it would be annoying to wear, but I’m smitten with the way the asymmetric straps on this draped v-back dress from Mango look like they’re just about to fall off the model’s shoulder. You could dress it down with Birkenstocks for a creative office, dress it up with heels for a formal office and wear it anyway you want in the bar you’ve hit up for the just-the-one (yeah, right) glass of white after work.

Invested in (or lusting after) the perfect summer dress? Do share in the comments section below!

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