Christmas Dresses
That Are Perfect For Summer

7th of December, 2021

There’s not much more sartorially satisfying than being armoured with a wardrobe full of dresses that will see you through occasion after occasion, with the ability to be styled up, or down.

At Witchery, we love a versatile piece that will stay in your rotation for years to come, that’s why we’ve even written a whole article on Christmas dresses that are perfect not only for the silly season, but the whole of summer (and most likely beyond then).

In summer, there are two things that are certain – high temperatures and a festive period, leading right up to Christmas. For the discerning outfitter, dressing for both does take some careful consideration when deciding what to wear. High temperatures mean navigating scorching sunshine, high humidity to blasting air conditioners indoors. This is a time to push your heavier, synthetic fabrics to the back of your cupboard and bring on the natural, thermoregulating fibres, like linen, viscose cotton to silk. Even in longer maxi lengths and full blouson sleeves, you will still keep your cool with these fool proof fabrics. From here, all you need to focus on is your favourite flattering cuts, feel good colour and prints.

Christmas time is when being together is one of the most important things. The social event invites are starting to fill up your calendar and there’s more and more outfits to be planned accordingly. Ensure to match your dress to the lifted spirits – it’s all about bold prints like tropical palms and abstract animal skins to bold, brilliant hues like magenta, cobalt blue and rich green. As for the silhouette? A maxi dress seems to be a recurring favourite this summer for its high impact – low effort appeal.
Read on for the dress outfits that you’ll be wearing to a fancy dinner, casual lunch, even to days at the beach or the office, when it’s time to get back to business.

Model in women's black halter dress and sandals

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01.Fancy Christmas
Dresses

One thing is for certain when we approach the festive season: smart, dressier occasions and invitations start to creep more and more into the calendar. From weddings, end of year dinners, Christmas parties and balls, the dress codes start to err more into formal territory.

However, you should not have to buy a dress for each and every one of these invites, as not every budget allows for it and of course a single piece should be worn many ways. That is why here, we’re suggesting picking out forever-in-fashion neutrals e.g., faithful black and leopard print, that has continued to be a pattern staple through the decades.

The black halter dress

The pleated fabric, high neckline, mid length, and belted waist forms one of our most sophisticated dress silhouettes. Have a corporate work function or party? Pick out your most sleek metallic or black heels and embellish with statement or subtle accessories – pear drop earrings, diamond encrusted bangles or rings and finish with a clutch of any shape or colour.

The leopard maxi dress

Leopard print has long been heralded as a neutral, for its ability to be worn with so many other colours, from hues in the same tonal colour family to other punchy pigments like pink or green for a confident clash. An abstract version of the animal-inspired pattern gives its longevity.

Make your entrance into any event a memorable one in a long, fluid design made from light and airy such as 100% viscose. A style like this can be belted at the waist with a self-fabric option, or your own thin or wide waist belt. If you want to let the dress float behind you as you walk around, leave it loose and relaxed at the waist. This style does offer up many shoe pairing options, from wedge espadrilles in natural or black, strappy leather heels to ankle tie-up leather flats for a more insouciantly cool look.

02.Casual Christmas Outfits

The season of summer can be quite the contradiction.

While it not only implies a festive and event-heavy period on the horizon, but it also means more longer sultry days, less layers and a more relaxed way of dressing as a result. Gone are the months of carefully considering every flesh of skin that requires covering up before breaching the cold low degrees. It’s almost always a comfortable temperature to step out in a languid dress and that is why we love summer dressing.

A lot of us are running around in the lead up to Christmas day or are even running between immediate and extended family homes on the day itself. You want to look gloriously effortless, even if you are up since 7am carving the ham and stuffing the presents under the Christmas tree. Enter the tiered skirt maxi dress in a vacation-inspired fern leaf print, crafted from a completely natural, heat-friendly fabric like 100% viscose, that is breathable and easy to care for. Featuring feminine flutter sleeves for when you find yourself outside under the sun in the backyard or at the park and a fuller, tiered skirt that will gracefully float behind you.

Choosing a subtle-hued print means accessorising the maxi dress is a breeze. White, cream, tan, green and all metallics will match back perfectly. Again, footwear – despite being optional on Christmas day in the backyard, is quite flexible. We always love a barely-there modern flat, as it lets the dress be the hero, traditional woven espadrilles exude a sense of holiday optimism and strappy leather mid-height heels certainly style things up for when you want to feel dressier.

The best thing about this silhouette of dress? Once the festivities are done, pack it for family vacation abroad, wear it over your swimwear to the beach with a large straw hat and oversize raffia tote in tow or, for smart casual office spaces, pop on the leather heels, a woven waist belt and a louche linen blazer draped over the shoulders.

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03.Christmas Dinner Outfits

Everyone's Christmas day looks different.

Perhaps you are spending the morning relaxing at home with immediate family, going for a Christmas day stroll along the beach or in the park and heading out in the afternoon for your traditional Christmas dinner with friends or extended family. For the more fanciful Christmas dinners – large or small, that feature the whole hog of carved ham, flowing champagne, grazing table etc we suggest the classic colours of black or navy in insouciant stylish silhouettes.

The racer knit dress

The beauty of this design is that it blends the cool with the utterly comfortable. We are very happy that jersey and ribbed knit dresses are back in fashion for this very reason. The stretchy fabric has a little give for growing bellies pregnant, or due to an indulgent lunch or dinner. For those who don’t love a full figure-hugging cut, the A-line skirt will keep you in your comfort zone. The dark blue colour matches well with black, to metallic and even skin-toned accessories. It’s sophisticated without the effort, so you can get on with spending time with loved ones.

We think you will reach for this style again and again. Wear a white oversize linen shirt open or tied at the waist for beach days, to a linen or twill blazer to work into (almost) any season.

The shirt dress

The do-it-all design of the season we are calling it. A hybrid dress, featuring a structured collar neckline, blouson puff sleeves and beautiful, detailed embroidery fabric. What makes it more cooling than cutwork fabric? A cutwork fabric in a composition of 100% cotton. With a destined great R.O.I, you can’t afford to not own this style dress. We see it being worn all seasons – not just summer. Hear us out. For the depths of winter, wear knee-high leather boots (and tights if you are really cold), a belt and a thick wool jacket. For summer, let the dress be the piece-de-resistance with minimal footwear and jewellery as the broderie is certainly a feature on its own.

The V-neck maxi dress

A strong contender for one of our most versatile dresses. Made from a durable linen fabric, keeping cool in the longer hemline and black shade is not an issue. A flattering v-neckline, criss-cross straps at the back and a full, tiered skirt are what makes this dress a hot weather favourite. While choosing a solid black number might seem plain, it is how you wear it that shows off your styling ingenuity. Large scale, natural-inspired accessories like shell earrings, flatform sandals, layered necklaces to statement woven raffia clutches or bags bring extra personality.

04.Christmas
Lunch Outfit

For a lot of people, Christmas lunch is the main event. The midday meal that sends us all into a siesta or food coma, should be met with a dress that is comfortable and stylish all in one.

Crochet

An artisanal bohemian trend, sees its modern renaissance, similar to the ubiquitous natural hand-woven raffia and straw accessories we’re loving. While the handknitted trend is borrowed from the retro flower power, Woodstock era, the choice of colour and cut brings the craftsmanship bang up to date. This fabric is the epitome of laid-back summer style, while a simple scoop neck dress, side splits in calming rust or simple black let the knitted details sing.

Not much accessorising is required here – a leather mule, wedge espadrille or chunky strappy sandal will all complement the dress, while large hoop earrings continue the ‘60s-inspired look with taste. What to wear when the temperatures drop after lunch? A denim jacket – cropped or oversized is the archetypal piece every wardrobe needs. Or, if things aren’t quite cool enough, wear a relaxed man-style linen or cotton shirt open to keep the shoulders from getting burnt.

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05.Christmas
Maxi Dress

What is a Christmas’ dress-ipe for success?

A bright, bold, and beautiful maxi dress, of course. There’s something forever elegant about floor-sweeping hems, even if they are destined for the beach. It is the extreme lengths of a maxi dress that offer the stress-free, minimal effort and maximum impact time and time again, and that’s why the maxi dress is the season’s bona-fide closet staple.

The festive season when everyone's spirits are truly lifted, calls for the right outfits to represent how you feel on the inside: you are relaxed but energetic, content but jovial and of course, hot under the rising temperatures and want to stay cool. So, you know you want to wear a maxi dress on Christmas day, luckily there are plenty of options that pack a stylish punch.

Consider getting saturated, and we mean in colour.

Vivid colours like pink magenta are knocking neutrals to the side this silly season. Take a trim detail, tiered skirt maxi in 100% viscose for example. Its thick straps mean you can still wear your favourite supportive undergarments, which is an added bonus for comfortability. Leave it loose and flowing with nothing but simply modern sandals or, turn things up a notch – wedge espadrilles or leather flatforms give your style a literal and physical boost. Want to take it a step further? Buckle-up a wide jute waist belt and carry a modern woven raffia clutch under your arm for added style credibility.

For those that feel comfortable in a bandeau, the strapless design allows for sun kissed, uninterrupted necklines to really be the hero of the outfit.

Unless of course you feel too bare and must decorate with a gold chain choker necklace or bold shell drop earrings for a little drama. Owning a black-based, vacation pattern like palm leaves or hibiscus flowers means the dress can segue smoothly from beach days to balmy bar nights more readily. Swap out your large, oversized raffia sun hat for black plaited leather slides of strappy mid-heel mules and if you must, a relaxed linen blazer or a cropped linen shirt tied at the waist. It’s about getting the most wear out of your favourite summer maxi dress and selecting the styles that you can see being restyled to more than one occasion or location.

06.Cotton
Christmas Dress

One of fashion’s oldest fabrics and most largely produced fibres in the world.

Cotton is a favourite for its ability to control moisture, insulate and provide long lasting comfort. Better yet, it is naturally absorbent, it’ll keep you dry under the scorching sun and rising mercury levels. It’s a fabric that can achieve a casual sophistication that you’ll appreciate first thing in the morning when you wake up, all the way through to after dusk when you are out for dinner with friends or family.

The versatility of cotton fabric means it can form and hold beautiful voluminous sleeves, ruching and tiering. Take the summer favourite shirt dress for example – it’s a design that won’t cling to the body but has all the design elements i.e., a collar, sleeves to skirt that make it a high impact style that will keep you cool.

For those who still like things a little fitted, choose a dress with a stretchy shirred bodice dress and a loose tiered skirt so your legs can still breathe in the heat. And of course, confident, statement colour is key this season. With so many vivid hues to choose from, like cobalt blue and pink fuchsia, it’s hard to resist a splash of colour – even for the colour averse.

When you choose a boldly-coloured dress like one of these, not many accoutrements are required. Layer a few thin gold chain necklaces or mini pearls, diamond studs and carry a natural raffia or crochet clutch under your arm or over your shoulder and away you go.

Love your cotton? So do we.

Witchery is committed to improving cotton farming practices globally with the Better Cotton Initiative. By buying cotton products from Witchery; you are supporting BCI farmers to grow cotton in a way that protects the environment and improves the livelihoods of farming communities. Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products. However BCI farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source’.

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07.Pink
Christmas Dress

Pink – it might remind us of our teen years or younger and a colour a lot of us haven’t considered in quite a while.

Yet there’s no shying away from the sweet shade on runways of late. From a faded pastel to bold magenta, fuchsia or in tie dye print, pink doesn’t have to be intimidating, especially when crafted into modern, wearable silhouettes.

It’s time to rebel against your staples of grey, cream and black and exude confidence with colour that says ‘pretty’ with power. After all, it’s not always what you wear, but how you wear it.

The sleeveless
button-down dress

This hue is not for the faint hearted in a punchy pink magenta; however, it is the sophisticated cut that makes it all the more wearable. Its natural fibre composition and carefree cut that doesn’t cling to the body means you’ll be reaching for this style with high frequency in warmer months. With a high neckline and loose tiered skirt, we can see this dress being worn into the office – black blazer draped over the shoulders and a mid-heel height mule.

The one shoulder dress

The perfect design for a destination wedding, opt for a dress in 100% breathable linen for extra comfortability. Featuring an elasticated waist, subtle cut-out detail and single statement blouson puff sleeve. We love a design like this for once the wedding’s over, you can wear this piece again, in a completely different way.

For dressier looks keep necklaces at a minimum so they don’t compete with the asymmetric neckline. A pair of drop pearl or architectural gold to natural look earrings will add wow factor, while shoes could be anything from wedge espadrilles, strappy leather stilettos or mid-height mule.

After the celebrations are done, try styling it a little more subversively to give the dress a completely different guise. Thick leather flat sandals, white street sneakers or flatforms shoes will play on the more relaxed side of the dress. Throw a denim jacket over the shoulders and carry an oversized raffia tote around for a little holiday lunch and shopping.

The tie dye shirt dress

Some might call it a comeback but tie dye prints never really left. Seen across ‘80s and ‘90s t-shirts, the originally bohemian mottled trend is given a modern refresh. The artistic print is revived in more simple colour schemes, like a white base with light pink. It’s the simple tones that make it modern day and shake off any flower power connotations. Better yet, if you’re not completely sold on a block pink number – this is a great option for you. Combined with the hard-working and versatility of the shirt dress silhouette we think we’ve found the perfect marriage of classic and cool.

Trim Insert Maxi Dress

We couldn’t have the festive season without the option of an ultra-feminine sheer maxi dress, because Christmas is all about the trimmings. In a loose and flowy silhouette with relaxed skirt and comfortable ribbed waistline, this style dress is feminine and impactful but without the fuss.

08.Green
Christmas Dress

Hoping to keep your outfit in the appropriate colour scheme this Christmas?

If red isn’t quite your colour and you are more partial to a cooler tone, we suggest a verdant green as your next festive-worthy hue – dark forest, tree green to a hint in a paisley print.

On the more conservative side when it comes to colour?

A forest green is the best way to dip a toe into shades outside your comfortable black to cream colour suite. The best part? You can still wear your faithful black accessories – gold buckle leather belts, black bag, or clutch to strappy sandals. A puff-sleeve midi dress in a natural blend of fibres will certainly serve you well into winter with black ankle or knee-high boots and your reliable over coat.

If you prefer to keep things a little lighter and more playful for the big day, we can’t go past a mini dress with a tiered skirt, voluminous, romantic sleeves, and a fun bold paisley print.

Stick to natural fibres like linen, viscose, and cotton so you remain cool but covered. We love this style of dress paired with vacation, natural-inspired accessories – shell drop earrings, leather plaited belts, espadrilles or strappy sandals and a large raffia bag or small clutch in tow.

Finally, if you are all for standout shades of colour, go for the latest vivid green, like our spaghetti strap, tiered skirt maxi dress.

Nothing says summer like a long, linen number in a head-turning colour. The full skirt only adds to the impact, while a flattering v-neckline allows you to play up the accessorising – think shell necklaces, thin or chunky gold chain chokers, statement drop earrings. The A-line design and fitted top means it will also look stylish with an oversized raffia sun hat. If it’s expected to cool, take a denim jacket or linen shirt to tie at the waist to keep the shoulders warm.

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09.White
Christmas Dress

Australia might not get a white Christmas, so we are wearing it instead. The pure, classic shade is hard to get wrong – not only does it reflect the sun rays and heat on a hot summer’s day, but it will also pair with almost anything else you have in your wardrobe.

What’s more is, white and all its nuances – ivory, cream to off-white will always be on-trend. It’s a timeless choice from summer, right through to spring. For the colour purist – white will pair perfectly with your cream and camel accessories, to metallic gold or silver or black. For those who like to dress a bit more eclectically, consider your white dress as a blank canvas and add pops of colour in your accessories whether it be belts, handbags, shoes, or jewellery.

The lace dress

Bold and beautiful lace will always make a statement. In a shift, mini silhouette and relaxed sleeves, a style like this is ideal for warmer nights. Show off the legs and keep shoes to a simple slide or mule heel. Earrings and jewellery should complement the detailed fabric without trying to compete, so keep adornments on the minimalist side of things. Try not to overthink the accessorising here, a lot of the hard work is done for you.

The lace insert shirt dress

The epitome of sophistication and polish. The shirt dress has been redesigned in many iterations this summer and we love the addition of lace strips for added effect. Made from 100% cotton so you don’t have to worry about overheating in a mid-length style, it is simply here to flatter at all angles – short puff sleeves, a cinched waist and button-down collar.

We know you’ll see this style dress again after the festive season has ended. A smart patent pump or strappy heel will take the shirt dress into the boardroom with confidence. Or a simple pair of leather slide and raffia hat will put you in good style stead for a weekend away near the beach.

Check Trapeze Dress

Wearing a white outfit is all about choosing a little texture for added interest, and a subtle check pattern in a casual mini trapeze dress does just that. Loose and flowy cotton fabric, a V neckline, ¾ length elasticated blouson sleeves and a tiered skirt are all design details ready to make you look and feel effortlessly cool. Footwear choices can be a little more on the casual side if you prefer – white street sneakers, leather flatforms or simple slides. If you prefer to give your figure a little more shape, pop a waist belt for added effect. But of course, you can dress this style up with high heels, wedges, and statement jewellery of your choosing – we did say treat white as a blank canvas.

Want to learn more ways to incorporate white into your work, weekend, or date night outfits? Read our White Outfit Ideas article.

Christmas Dresses Wrapped Up

There you have it – our selection of one-and-done dresses for Christmas, summer and beyond.

At Witchery we love the versatility of a dress, choose the right one and you will be wearing it from Christmas day, to date night dinners and into winter. To us, it’s all about selecting quality long-lasting fabrications and then styling something up or styling it down, to get the best return on investment.

Feminine, relaxed, statement or more fitted, there are endless silhouettes and styles for dresses to fit any wardrobe or personal taste.