It’s hard to argue with a really great summer dress. It’s one of the best things about the sunny season: The ease of throwing on one item and a pair of sandals and feeling pretty, polished, stylish and comfortable.
Of course, some dresses can be glamorous and totally impractical (in the best way), but my personal favourite is the type of dress you can wear all day and into the long summer evenings without blinking an eye. I’m a fan of versatile outfits, especially when I’m investing in premium pieces, so I want a dress I can wear to work, to the park with my son at the weekend, to nursery drop offs, on the beach, on holiday and out to dinner with the girls.
Dôen is a dress brand that seems to tick all of these boxes with its designs time and time again, and unsurprisingly it’s one you’ll find fashion people and celebrities wearing all summer long (we’ve spotted the likes of Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, and Kaia Gerber sporting it before). The California-based label has absolutely nailed the formula for the perfect summer dress—its pieces are always breezy and relaxed (read: extremely comfy and easy to throw on) and, importantly, they suit a wide range of body types (most go up to a UK size 18 and have bra-friendly designs with adjustable necklines to suit ample bust or not). Dôen has a lot of really pretty floral, pastel and gingham dresses if that’s your thing, but there’s also plain black, white and blue styles for those who prefer a more minimalist approach. The designs feel whimsical but grown-up, impressive but laid-back, and for someone who always seems to have that panicked “I have so many clothes but nothing to wear” dilemma, the dresses are appropriate to wear for so many different occasions. Honestly, what’s not to love?
So, as we start tentatively looking towards a long hot summer (one can dream), with many of us considering our dress purchases for the year, I thought I would put some of Dôen’s most popular dresses to the test. There are currently only a handful of Dôen stores, all based over in the US, which means us Brits can only get hold of the pieces online. Convenient to get them to our doorstep, yes—but not always conducive to a successful purchase. To help you avoid the hassle of disappointing returns, I tried on a whole bunch of Dôen dresses so that I could report back to you on the very best styles, and the fit, fabric and feel of my favourites—all from a professional stylist’s point of view.
Keep scrolling to find my honest opinions on the Ischia, Ashlynn, Leanne, Emmaretta and Quinn dresses, and hopefully it will guide you into your best no-regrets hero buy that you can pull out summer after summer.
1. Dôen Ischia Dress
My review: The Ischia dress is perhaps the most prolific of Dôen’s styles, which is understandable given how lovely and easy to wear it is. The slightly longer sleeves are perfect if you prefer more coverage in that area in summer, but the fabric—a beautiful, floaty cotton voile—is light as a feather, meaning you’ll still feel cool in this dress on the hottest summer days.
The neckline and waist have adjustable ties, so you can really adapt this style to fit you perfectly, as well as change it up for your personal preference or needs (i.e. if you’re keen to show less cleavage on office days or family reunions, then you can simply tighten the bow to bring the neckline up higher). The great thing about most of Dôen’s dresses is that you can wear a bra with them—I have a nude one on here and there were no areas peeking out or showing through the fabric at all.
For size reference I’m usually a size 8-10, and 5’2″ in height, with a 34B bust. I’m wearing a small here, and there was plenty of room left in the chest area—I think I could even size down to an XS to avoid any excess fabric or gaping.
Personally, I think the puff sleeves make the Ischia feel a little more “floofy” (a professional term) on me when compared to the shorter, simpler sleeve styles below. Since I’m quite short and it hit low on the ankle, having both arm and leg coverage was giving me a bit of a milkmaid vibe—especially with this voile fabric which does gather and give more shape in the hips as well (not always a bad thing at all). That’s not to say I didn’t love it, but I do think, on me, I preferred the similar Ashlynn style below.
Shop the Dôen Ischia Dress:
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Ischia Shirred Gingham Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
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Ischia Shirred Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
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Ischia Shirred Floral-Print Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
2. Dôen Ashlynn Dress
My review: I have to start by saying I absolutely adored this dress. I’m not really a florals gal, so I wasn’t expecting to like it on me if I’m honest. But the flattering cap sleeves, delicate blue floral and beautiful lace-up, shirred bodice detailing really won me over. Rather than feel too pretty or girly in it, I felt feminine and grown up. I could totally imagine seeing this dress on the perfect laid-back California mum from across the beach and being wowed by her relaxed yet polished ease—and I’d be desperate to know where it’s from. In fact, Actress Meghann Fahy was spotted in the yellow version of this dress recently and looked totally effortless.
The Ashlynn has the same adjustable waist and neckline as the Ischia above (handy), as well as the same airy cotton voile fabric. The lighter base colour of this print meant that there was a slightly sheer finish on the legs when you move, but I still felt totally confident that you couldn’t see my nude underwear thanks to the thicker shirring on the body and gathered fabric at the hips.
Like the Ischia, if you have a smaller bust you could try sizing down in this style, especially given the adjustable waist options but it’s a personal preference about how roomy you’d like the fabric to feel (I’m wearing a small again here).
Shop the Dôen Ashlynn Dress
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Ashlynn Tie-Detailed Shirred Floral-Print Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
3. Dôen Emmaretta Dress
My review: The Emmaretta is another style that I didn’t think would make it onto my favourites list. I’m a little self-conscious of my upper arms and coming freshly out of winter with no tan I felt nervous to show so much skin. However, this feeling was quickly diminished when I tried this beauty on. The lovely ruffled straps were so flattering—I loved that the ruffles cam all the way under the arms too. Unlike a lot of strappy dresses, this style was also really easy to wear a bra with and the thicker straps and high back and under arms covered my bra straps completely. Even Selena Gomez is a fan of the Emmaretta! As you can see I couldn’t stop wafting around the room while wearing this dress—I could totally see myself reaching for it again and again, all summer long (and even in spring and autumn with a cute cardigan over it too).
Shop the Dôen Emmaretta Dress:
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Emmaretta Tie-Detailed Shirred Floral-Print Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
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Emmaretta Shirred Floral-Print Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
4. Dôen Quinn Dress
My review: I had to try Kaia Gerber’s Dôen dress of choice and it did not disappoint. The girl has impeccable taste, and while the Quinn dress didn’t magically transform me into a six foot supermodel, I did feel like I managed to capture a fraction of her effortless, pared back summer style just by throwing it on. I actually loved her pairing it with ballet flats which would be great for spring, but I could resist adding these timeless leather sandals and layers of gold jewellery to get a real taste of how I’d wear it in high summer.
While the dresses above all feel quite similar in their form, fit and fabric, the Quinn differs slightly in that it comes in this slightly crisper cotton poplin material. It’s certainly more opaque, especially in the black colour so not see through at all. A bra definitely works here too, although there is a small keyhole gap below the bow on this dress so you may still want to opt for a nude or plunge style. The neckline is similarly adjustable, too.
As a petite person I loved that this style sit slightly higher on the ankle than the cotton voile styles, and with less floaty material around the ankles I felt that, while the others are certainly not difficult to wear, this would be even easier to throw-on and go without worrying about tripping up, or getting it tangled in, say, bike wheels or a car door (and when you have a toddler like I do, every second counts). Overall I just found it to be really wearable and easy, and the black felt really chic.
Shop the Dôen Quinn Dress:
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Quinn Tie-Detailed Shirred Organic Cotton-Poplin Midi Dress
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Quinn Tie-Detailed Shirred Organic Cotton-Poplin Midi Dress
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Quinn Tie-Detailed Shirred Organic Cotton-Poplin Midi Dress
5. Dôen Leanne Dress
My review: The Leanne is another different style entirely. Similar to the Quinn, it comes in the crisp cotton poplin, but the neckline and waist on this dress aren’t adjustable, so I would perhaps size down if you’re in between sizes to avoid any gaping as it comes up a little big. In general I’m not a fan of a drop waist (it looks so great on some people but I just never feel that I can pull it off). However, since this design still has the cinched-in waist to create that classic silhouette, actually I found the shirring to be really flattering as it’s not too fitted. Instead it skimmed over my tummy and hip area to create a streamlined look. In fact, it made the whole dress feel less “poofy” (another professional term) at the waist than the styles above, so if you’re after a Dôen dress that still captures the pretty detailing but without feeling too ‘milkmaidy’, the Leanne might be the style for you. In terms of wearability, I probably wouldn’t pair it with black underwear but you couldn’t see any shadows of my nude knickers or bra at all, even in the white colour. All in all, another gorgeous, classic summer dress.
Shop the Dôen Leanne Dress:
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Leanne Shirred Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
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Leanne Shirred Organic Cotton-Voile Midi Dress
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