The rehabilitation happened in stages: first as irony, then as a deliberate rejection of the neutral palette that dominated the late 2010s, and finally as the obvious answer when the whole market turned back toward colour. What makes it interesting now is how wide the range has become, from a hot saturated fuchsia to a washed baby pink. Each of those carries completely different associations, which is why the pink dresses here do not look like variations on one idea. The lineage runs from 1960s Schiaparelli shocking pink through 2000s girly to whatever the current moment is calling it.

The knit minis carry the same idea into something you can actually sit in. Courrèges's ribbed knit is the sharpest of them, MILLY's Riley and AREA's Girly Rib keep the rib close to the body, and ISA BOULDER's crochet knit is the one with a little air in it. LoveShackFancy's Lunelle cable knit is the coziest, and Kulani Kinis's knit halter is the beach version.

For crisp cotton, AQUA's striped poplin with a front tie and Rebecca Vallance's Petalite, a poplin mini with broderie anglaise trim, read like a summer shirt turned into a dress. My test for a pink knit: hold it up to a window. If light comes through the rib, it will cling more than you want.

Magda Butrym's ruffle mini is the most designed piece here and self-portrait's collaboration with Christopher Kane on a ruffle knit mini is the most structural. Lovers and Friends Juliana, Superdown Balina and Poster Girl's Perri are the going-out shapes, and More To Come's Kiara is the simplest cut. Selkie, LoveShackFancy and Mirror Palais lean romantic, with ruffles, tweed and eyelet, while Elliatt's Alia keeps to a clean A-line. I.AM.GIA's Sugar mini in baby pink is one of the palest of these pink mini dress options, FARM Rio adds a print, and SNDYS's Odessa knit mini in pink ombre is the only one that shifts tone across the garment.

Then the bows and flowers. STAUD's Sofia is a strapless taffeta with a bow, Ramy Brook's Orion and As It May's Noema put the bow front and center, and Elliatt's Trompe Rosette builds the flower into the fabric itself. Acler's Maxey has floral appliqué on a bubble hem, Mac Duggal's floral net bustier is the most dressed up, and PatBO's Orchid Bloom and Poupette St Barth's Emilie are the holiday ones. Aureta.'s Lyla and More To Come's Natalie are the simpler strapless cuts.

The stretch minis are the other half of that grid. Hervé Léger's After Party and House of CB's Contour are bandage dresses, so they hold you in rather than float. Maygel Coronel's Arena drapes jersey across the body, Frankies Bikinis's Cindy is the casual one, and Generation Love's Justine and FARM Rio's Tropical Rose bring print back in. What I would skip: a bandage mini for a long dinner if you dislike feeling held all evening.

These forty widen the range again, and the clearest way through them is by fabric. Satin and silk give pink its most saturated read: Marlies Grace's Diana in rose satin with its structured hem panel, Simkhai's bubblegum Sumi in embellished silk, and Valentino's watermelon silk mini with bows. Twill and crepe keep it clean, like Marlies Grace's simple baby pink Gigi and Rotate's cherry blossom crepe with a flower appliqué and ruffled hem.

Leo Lin has four here, and they show how much one label can do with one color, from the dusty pink Roselle tweed with floral appliqué to the fuchsia Lola linen halter with cutouts and a tied neck. La Fuori's Rose Armour fades into an ombré with floral embroidery, and Brandon Maxwell's Cleo is a dusty rose knit with a softly pleated tulip skirt.

The easy daytime ones are cotton and linen. Posse's fringed linen mini kaftan and its checked strapless Riviera, Simkhai's Cleo in cotton poplin with flutter sleeves, and Helmstedt's ruffled Elna are the pink mini dresses I would wear with flat sandals rather than heels. Bernadette's Charlotte sits in between, with a bow and a deliberately short cut.

Satin again, because it is where pink looks its richest. STAUD's Athena in silk is the plainest and best cut, AJE.'s Ophelia is crinkled satin with a lace trim, and POSSE's Solene mixes chiffon with satin crepe. LoveShackFancy's Mirelis has a bow, Mac Duggal's high neck satin has a bubble hem, and Leo Lin's Aliza adds long sleeves for a cooler night. Nookie's Sabine, Bardot's lace-trimmed Antonia, Princess Polly's off-the-shoulder Zabbara, Lioness's Kiss & Tell and More To Come's Natalia are the going-out ones.

For tweed, Maje's Risolena has a short flared skirt, Lovers and Friends' Llily and Endless Rose's tweed mini are the boxier shapes, and LoveShackFancy's Florencio is a shift. The sequins are Asta Resort's Ana, Alice + Olivia's Delora, Blondie Nites's lace-back mini and More To Come's strapless Emerie, all made for a night out with nothing else sparkly on.

Add Little Lies's Frieda, VRG GRL's Tia and AEXAE's linen halter with a drop waist to that daytime list, along with STAUD's Callie in stretch cotton and La Maregold's Ophelia.

My test: look at the pink in daylight by a window before you commit. Satin shifts warmer indoors, while cotton stays truest.

What I would skip: pale pink satin for a long seated dinner. It shows every crease.

A pink mini carries the whole outfit, so the pairing is about finish rather than competition: a crystal-strapped sandal, a metallic heel or a black satin pump. A small velvet or sequin tweed clutch and one pair of statement earrings complete it. Saturated pinks take gold well, and pale pinks look sharper next to black.

Pink is the least forgiving colour in photographs under warm indoor lighting, where it shifts orange, and under fluorescent light, where it shifts grey. Check the room before the outfit. Knit minis ride up when you sit and keep riding, which no amount of care prevents. Ruffles in a light colour crush in transit and show every crease. Pale pink shows deodorant and makeup immediately and rarely washes out fully. A practical rule is to choose saturated pinks for more reliable photos and save pale shades for daylight. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Fall Dress Is Doing More Work and The Silk Dress Is Doing Quiet Work In A Loud Season.