This bracket is cotton and jersey and it is where most summer dressing actually happens. The Cou Cou Intimates Iris Slip Dress for FWRD at $140 is the cheapest and the most obviously everyday. Deiji Studios accounts for three, the Pocket Halter and Rounded Neck at $190 each and the Cross Over at $239, all cut loose and all made to be worn with nothing underneath in heat. Bananhot's Mini Rey at $249 and Solid & Striped's Josie at $278 are the two swim-adjacent options. Enza Costa's Cotton Bandeau Dress at $325 is the plainest shape here. The Same Tie Maxi for FWRD at $378 is the only full-length dress in the bracket and closes it out. Nothing in this group needs ironing, which is the practical argument for buying two rather than one.

The middle is where the cut becomes the reason to spend. Matteau's Frill Cami Mini at $440 and Frame's Serene Midi at $448 open the group and are the two most restrained. Self-Portrait's Ramie Mini at $490 is the most textured. SIR.'s Cecile Ruffle Slip at $560 and Maygel Coronel's Halo Dress at $570 are the two most body-skimming shapes, and the Cecile is the one that would carry into an evening. Enza Costa's Japanese Plaid Scarf Dress at $595 is the only check in the edit. Retrofete's Isadore at $598 and The Andamane's Indira Lace Up Wrapped Mini at $620 are the two most constructed. This is the bracket to shop if you want one dress that works for both a lunch and a dinner.

Above $658 the dresses get more designed and less casual. Hemant and Nandita's Halter Neck Tiered Maxi at $658 and Alemais' Dolly Dress at $690 are the two most decorative at the lower end of the bracket. Retrofete's Arianell at $798 sits between them. Christopher Esber's Salacia Jersey Drape at $995 is the most technically interesting piece in the edit, built on drape rather than seams. David Koma's Fringe Draped Mini Knit at $1,060 and Alex Perry's Ruched Singlet Mini at $1,450 are the two evening shapes. Silvia Tcherassi's Rowan Dress at $1,690 is the most colour-led. Missoni's Sleeveless Short Shift at $2,790 is the most expensive dress here and the only knit at this level, which is what the house is known for.

Summer dresses are the clearest case in fashion for buying several cheap things instead of one expensive one, because the failure mode of a summer dress is not wearing it. Three Deiji Studios dresses at $190 to $239 will cover more days than one Missoni at $2,790, and they will survive being packed. The middle bracket is where a single purchase makes sense, and the SIR. Cecile Ruffle Slip at $560 is the one dress here that genuinely moves between day and night. At the top, the Christopher Esber drape at $995 is the only piece we would argue is doing something you cannot get cheaper. Everything above it is a print or a name. If you take one thing away, the best summer dress is the one you do not think about before putting on.