Mini Dress Edit: Satin, Sequin and Sleeved Styles to Wear Now

Mini Dress Edit: Satin, Sequin and Sleeved Styles to Wear Now

A mini dress is the easiest way to look put together in minutes. This edit gathers the mini dress in satin, sequin, lace and sleeved versions from a wide mix of labels. Find the cut you will wear on repeat.

The mini dress, sorted by style

I sorted the minis by how much work they do: the easy ones, the sharper hems, the sparkle and lace, and the satin. A mini dress works for brunch, birthdays and every night out, so go straight to the mood you want.

Mini dress collage: Amanda Uprichard, Donna Morgan, Frankies Bikinis, Guizio, LSPACE, Mother of All, Retrofete, TRESSÉ

Easy minis

These are the easy minis, the ones that need no plan. ELODIE THE LABEL's Zia and Lulus's Cody boat neck are the simple everyday picks, and STAUD's Madison is the one that looks sharper than a plain mini has any right to. Wear any of them with a jacket on top for cooler evenings.

Short and simple

Alice + Olivia's Charlotte and French Connection's Whisper double breasted are the plain ones, the kind that go with a sneaker by day and a heel by night. Classic minis are the everyday workhorses of the category.

Cut-outs, drapes and sharper hems

This group has the minis with something going on at the hem or the waist: a drape, a cut-out, a skater flare. Sandro's Joye skater and Amur's Bentley bring the movement, and THE ATTICO is the sharp one. Test them seated, since a short hem tells the truth when you sit.

Mini, no fuss

These are the minis you can throw on without thinking: a linen dress, a racer tank, a pleated skirt. MILLY's Maggie and Cinq à Sept's Nova are the two I would dress up with a heel.

Sparkle and lace

Texture does the work here, so keep the shoes and bag plain. BCBGMAXAZRIA's Leonie and Tularosa's Bellini are the sparkly ones; Zadig & Voltaire's Respas and Free People's Woodland Whispers are the lace. Norma Kamali's grey sequin keeps it quiet.

 

I added more sparkle from Moda Operandi. SIMKHAI's green Davina sequined mini, Ella embellished crepe mini and Darcie metallic jacquard are the polished ones, and LoveShackFancy's Avreline beaded fringe mini and Azeline lace minis in ivory and pink are the romantic ones. Aje's pearl-embellished lace bubble mini, DES_PHEMMES's brown sequined cocktail mini and Conner Ives's gold metallic knit are made for dancing, while Ulla Johnson's yellow Paoline lace mini and Alexis's Soleya lace mini are softer and work in daylight too.

Slip into something short

Satin minis have a quiet shine that looks elegant with minimal jewelry. Layer a blazer over the top for a day look.

 

New here: Significant Other's grey Luka draped satin mini, Third Form's blue layered Inhale, BONDI BORN's brown Ardea with a cowl back and Leo Lin's light pink Ali, which has embroidery on the satin.

 

Reformation's Lantana and STAUD's Freda, a long sleeve silk, are the silks I would wear to dinner. Marques'Almeida's bonded satin shirt dress is the sporty one, and With Jéan's lilac Leni has lace trim.

Cotton and linen minis

Jane Birkin spent the late 1960s in short cotton dresses with a straw basket on her arm, and every summer someone rediscovers that look. Cotton and linen minis are what you pack when the plan is a beach town and a long lunch. They breathe, they wash, and they look better a little rumpled.

 

The white ones are the most useful: Matteau's broderie anglaise mini, Posse's Alice linen mini, Mirror Palais's collared cotton mini and Curatoria's Alba linen mini all go with flat sandals and a basket. For color, With Nothing Underneath's red Sloane linen mini, Baobab's yellow Agustina and Matthew Bruch's green collared linen mini are easy wins, and ELCE's Aura linen mini comes plain or in blue stripes.

 

The Colombian labels bring the most charm. Agua by Agua Bendita, founded in Medellín, has the off-the-shoulder Arpa and Jardin minis, Andrés Otálora's Una Tarde Eterna linen mini comes in turquoise and in print, and Johanna Ortiz's Salt Dreamer and Mares de Sal cotton minis have the kind of ruffles that look like a holiday. DES_PHEMMES's balloon cotton mini, in white and in light blue, is the playful shape.

 

Tip: linen creases, so pick the looser shapes if you will be sitting for a while. What I would skip: a tight cut in linen, which wrinkles across the hips within an hour.

Prints, stripes and embroidery

Emilio Pucci's printed silk jersey dresses were everywhere on the jet set in the early 1960s, light enough to fold into a handbag. A printed mini still does the same job: it is the whole outfit, and it packs flat.

 

Leo Lin makes up a big part of this grid because the label does flowers so well at this length. The Roselle appliqué tweed mini comes in pink and in navy, the Ali embroidered mini in blue and in light pink, and the Brigitte embroidered cotton mini in yellow. The Lola halter mini has fabric flowers across the bodice, and the Genevieve and Isla button-up minis are the easy daytime ones.

 

Beyond Leo Lin, La Fuori's pink Rose Armour mini is embroidered all over, ALÉMAIS has the Natalia printed linen and Marion printed twill minis, and Etro's light blue ikat mini is the classic. For stripes and scarves, Christopher Esber's bandana-print silk twill mini, Conner Ives's yellow pleated scarf mini, KALLMEYER's Eloise micro-plaid and SIR.'s red striped Coastline mini all work with a plain flat sandal.

 

Tip: with a busy print, pull one color from the dress for your bag or shoes. What I would skip: a printed bag with a printed dress, which fights for attention.

Knit, jersey and crochet minis

Mary Quant opened Bazaar on the King's Road in 1955 and spent the next decade making hemlines shorter. Knit and jersey are the fabrics that make a short hem easy to wear, because they move with you and never need ironing.

 

For the plain ones, St. Agni's Delphine mini in fine jersey comes in black and in grey, Conner Ives's belted jersey mini comes in black and in green, and Negative's Whipped cami dress, in nude and in black, is the one to wear under a big coat. Wardrobe.NYC's backless tee dress and Alfie's Carrie mini in stretch bamboo are the most relaxed.

 

Crochet is the summer version. Anemos's white bell sleeve crocheted mini, ESCVDO's Nevado and Alma crocheted cotton minis and Zulu and Zephyr's crocheted tunic mini all go over a swimsuit or a slip. For stripes, try ROAME's Manon knit or Christopher Esber's draped knit mini, and Posse's Lexi leopard knit and Leo Lin's purple off-shoulder knit are the bolder picks. Conner Ives's cardigan knit mini, in gold and in black, buttons all the way down.

 

Tip: crochet needs a lining or a slip underneath, so check the listing for one before you buy. What I would skip: a thin pale jersey without seamless underwear.

Silk, chiffon and organza

Ossie Clark cut chiffon on the bias in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Celia Birtwell printed it with flowers, and London has loved a floaty dress ever since. These minis are the light, moving ones: silk, chiffon and organza that catch the air when you walk.

 

The ruffled chiffon ones are the most fun. Aje's yellow Cleo, Mirror Palais's red ruffled mini, Andrés Otálora's red Raíces Antiguas and SIEDRÉS's devoré chiffon Floriana all have layers that move. STAUD's green Esther chiffon mini, De La Vali's blue Isla chiffon mini and DES_PHEMMES's light grey layered chiffon mini are calmer.

 

In silk, STAUD's striped Irena and yellow draped Adriana are easy to love, BONDI BORN's green Cannes mini has a sash hem, and La Fuori's yellow Honey Room is the sunniest. Rodarte's brown polka dot silk mini and Ulla Johnson's floral Lucina are the prettiest, Temily's silver parachute silk mini is the evening one, and Aje's ivory Nisha in organza has a single shoulder.

 

Tip: chiffon is sheer, so look for a lining note in the listing. What I would skip: a heavy chain bag on a fine silk strap, which pulls the dress off line.

Structured and tailored minis

In 1964 André Courrèges sent short white shift dresses and flat boots down his Paris runway, and British Vogue called it the year of Courrèges. A structured mini still has that clean, graphic feeling: the shape holds itself, so you barely need to accessorize.

 

The Frankie Shop's grey Bryn mini cinches at the waist, SIR.'s navy Phillipa and SIMKHAI's black and white Noel are sharp crepe minis, and Paris Georgia's brown Audrey is the leather one. For cooler days, FRANÇOISE's black Nokia wool mini, Ulla Johnson's pleated Lucille wool mini and LoveShackFancy's ivory Sue tweed mini all take a tight.

 

MONTSAND does the most architecture, with a grey peplum mini, a ruffled one-shoulder mini and an ivory fur tube mini for a party. Leo Lin's black velvet Ariel has a bow at the bust, STAUD's ivory Mimi and ALÉMAIS's Bodie are in jacquard, and Anemos's button-down wrap mini, DES_PHEMMES's embroidered poplin shirt mini and Andrés Otálora's belted black linen mini are tailored like shirts.

 

Tip: a structured mini looks best with a pointed flat or a slim heel, so the shape does the work. What I would skip: chunky boots with a peplum, which cut the line in half.

More ways to wear a mini

This last group is the mix of sleeved, draped and halter shapes. Francesca Miranda's Moonrise sequins, Matthew Bruch's twist scarf satin and Ronny Kobo's Krys are the three I would wear out first.

Styling a mini dress

Balance a short hem with simple shoes and a bag that fits the mood. A good mini dress needs very little else. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Cocktail Dress Edit and White Mini Dress.