12 ‘Cool Girl’ Summer Midi Dress Brands (No Fast Fashion!)

Don’t yell at me people! I know tempting you with the words ‘summer midi dresses’ and showing you a black dress is not cool. But you already know me and my love for black in summer so don’t say you were not warned.

And honestly, this is a great dress to wear in summer actually. Not to be gross but this dress is in two layers with a thin slip underneath so its perfect when dealing with sweaty skin. And its floaty enough to pass as a summer dress although I have of course worn it in autumn as well. This dress is from Mango from at least four years ago so there is slim chance of finding it. But the point of it this post is to either remind you guys if you already know of these brands or introduce some fun cool dress brands to you.

Now of course, a disclaimer. I have not bought or worn items from a lot of these brands. I will definitely mention those I have. Some I like more than others, some I like certain parts. I will definitely explain it all but if you have questions just leave a comment below and I will answer. And needless to say you can always ask on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and so on.

1. Ganni

This is currently the ultimate ‘cool girl’ dress brand I love their designs – very chic. And they use some really lovely materials. Thankfully I didn’t see any cheap polyester or nylons in their dresses which is a relief although they do use recycled polyester. The size finder tool on their website is fantastic!

2. Sezane

You may remember this gorgeous yellow dress I wore for Bidisha’s mehendi. They definitely have the cheapest silk dresses I have found so I highly recommend checking them out. The issue is they end up selling out items fairly quickly so you have to be quick.

3. Rouje

I find them very similar to Sezane and they have cute summery prints. Unfortunately, they do have a lot of polyester clothing so be careful with that. I am also a little sad since they don’t carry my size.

4. Maje

I love their clothes although there are a lot of issues objectively. They materials are not the best and prices are high but their designs are gorgeous and next level chic. I guess it helps since they very Chanel and Balmain inspired. I find their quality to be very good. I have to admit through their winter collections are way chicer than their summer wear.

5. Sandro

Its a sister company to Maje and I find their clothes to be similar but slightly cheaper. I have bought Sandro both first hand and second hand and the fact that they look so good second hand is a testament to the quality of their clothing.

6. Claudie Pierlot

Again, very similar to Maje and Sandro and some very chic styles.

7. Kitri

I am a little conflicted with this brand. I love their styles but hate the materials they use. Everything seems to be polyester so I find them overpriced for what it is. But I have to admit some of the styles are lovely.

8. Realisation Par

This was the brand that started the whole animal print trend with their Naomi skirt. Honestly, I don’t even think it can be termed as a trend if its been on for almost two years now. Everything they have is in silk and their patterns are their own and look absolutely gorgeous.

9. Stine Goya

I love their crazy clothes, beautiful prints and have been wanting something from their collection for so long now. They are very expensive especially for their silk dresses but they use some recycled polyester which is probably the only excuse to buy polyester.

10. Me and Em

This is another brand that really confused me so decide for yourself. Lovely chic clothing but the materials make it like a cheap fast fashion store.

11. Rixo

I found this brand over the winter last year and had considered them more for party dresses than summer midi dresses. Luckily their new summer dress collection is so beautiful. What stood out was how easy to wear they are but again, very expensive but I can see the materials are higher quality. But then again, I think, I would rather pay these prices for silk at Realisation Par than pay this for viscose.

12. Balzac

This is very similar to Sezane again with nice floral prints and a very French girl vibe.

Hope this gave you guys some ideas on where to shop for summer midi dresses outside of the main fast fashion brands. Of course, these are way more expensive but I will just buy a dress or a top or a skirt once a year or so and its not too much that way. Most items I have bought from these stores are in great condition with quality materials but I cannot say the same for most of the fast fashion brands. So I am quite happy to sacrifice the fast fashion shopping for this.

– Anisha