We Found The Nicest Summer Dresses Under $150
The “summer dress” might be a seasonal item, like a sandal and swimsuit, but it gets a lot of mileage through sand, sweat, and sun — maybe even more so than a pair of shorts. If it’s the right one, that is. Back in 2023, we asked our staff about the best summer dresses to pack on vacation. For 2025, we’re asking more than two dozen people with particular, exacting, exceptional taste about the best summer dresses under $150. (A seemingly challenging prompt at first, evidenced by the many sources who told me they couldn’t name one within the budget.) Below, I rounded up recommendations from newsletter writers, brand founders, and some fellow Strategist staffers, for everything from the mini that earns “friendly shouts from day-drunk strangers on the Lower East Side” to a maxi that survived a single-day excursion to the Hamptons (five hours of which were spent in a coach bus).
Mini
Sandy Sanchez, copywriter and Small Pleasures newsletter writer
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“I remember wearing it on a long walk on the first warm day. It feels flowy and breezy. And while it’s only 55 percent linen (so not as breathable as a 100 percent linen dress), it’s still very breathable. It’s gotten softer with each wear, too.”
Aemilia Madden, brand consultant
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“I was a huge fan of OG OV, and tried out a lot of their pieces. The Exercise Dress is one of the only ones I have left. It’s sporty, stretchy, and comfortable. It can span a day when I’m planning on being active — hiking, walking, playing tennis. (I find it easy to keep balls stored in the shorts.) I haven’t worn mine while running, but I remember a friend actually running a half-marathon in hers.”
Elizabeth Cardinal Tamkin, content director at Kule and Corner Booth newsletter writer
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“It’s made from 100 percent cotton, so it doesn’t feel like a plastic bag on hot days. It’s not too light, and short enough. The volume at the skirt is flattering to my legs. I like to look like a Hostess cupcake sometimes.”
Hilary Reid, Strategist senior editor
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“This dress is like wearing a small linen bag, in the best way. It is extremely breezy, both in the swingy shape and the generously cut armpits, which sounds odd but if you’ve ever felt that the arm holes on some summer dresses are cut too small, you’ll know what I mean. The linen has just enough heft to it to not be sheer but still be totally lightweight and breathable.”
Iva Dixit, writer
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“Lately I’ve been working through all the convent-school self-consciousness that was instilled in me by nuns about wearing hemlines above the knee, and my primary instrument of practice is this. This is my personal Ferrari of summer dresses, in that I bought it when I was having a midlife crisis but now I love it so much I wear it every chance I get, whenever the occasion demands it or even when the occasion doesn’t. It has wiped away all my hesitations around whether I can wear something this short. I own it in the standard black and brown of course, a very muted dusty pink, a dull cornflower blue, a frosted-buttercream yellow, a bright daffodil yellow (and I desperately need the brand to bring it back on their site in tomato red). I wore the last on the first genuinely hot day in New York, and because of how startlingly bright the yellow is, I got a lot of friendly shouts from day-drunk strangers on the Lower East Side. I was compared to a banana, a yellow M&M, and a Manila envelope.”
Rachael Griffiths, Strategist writer
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“This pointelle number has been a staple in my wardrobe for two years. For modesty’s sake, I mostly pair it with a cardigan, wrap, or use it for layering. The occasions I do wear it as just a slip, it certainly delivers as something figure-hugging and flirty.”
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“The brand is the brainchild of Susan Alexandra and stylist Doria Santlofer. It’s the little rosettes that put it over the edge for me. I only have one M.O. when getting dressed in summer: It’s to stay as cool (heatwise) as possible. I’m looking for short, loose, and white — the holy trifecta. This is cotton and it’s easy to wash, either by machine or hand. It’s also not that low-cut in the front, so I don’t have to put on as much sunscreen as I would with something else. The only thing that’s missing is pockets.”
Bella Druckman, Strategist junior writer
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“I’d be lying if I said my visits to Tween Row didn’t involve a little shopping. (It’s market research, obviously.) I spotted this plaid dress hanging in the Brandy Melville section of PacSun. It has a few stray threads — it was $34, after all — but I imagine I’ll be pulling it out whenever temperatures top 80 degrees.”
Jo Rosenthal, writer
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“I was in dire need of a simple black dress, and I couldn’t resist the price and cut of this. If my favorite scents and memories were wrapped in a dress, it would be this one. It’s kind of basic, but it can be dressed for whatever the day or night brings. Bowling, dancing, date nights, you get the idea. Sometimes I wish it had a crew neck instead of being off-the-shoulder because I don’t always want to cosplay as a sexy Italian woman.”
Midi
Carrie Carrollo, creative strategist
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“I believe I bought it just before the start of summer last year (if not the year before …). It ended my search for a black summer dress — it’s airy, and I don’t feel gross sweating in it on a hot day. The one thing I’d change on mine is making the straps adjustable — though it looks like this year’s version has them, so maybe they got the memo.”
Abena Anim-Somuah, food writer behind the Your Friend in Food newsletter
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“Last summer, Gap released a limited-edition collaboration with Dôen, and I leapt at this dress. It’s casual without making you feel underdressed. It’s sleeveless, with enough support in the bodice that you don’t even have to wear a bra.”
[Editor’s note: Her Gap x Dôen recommendation has since sold out, but we linked to a similar version from this year’s collaboration.]
Kelsey Lim, founder of Abel Objects
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“This is technically a slip, but I wear it as a dress. Summers in New York City can get so unbearably hot, and wearing it is as close to feeling naked as I can get. It’s definitely sheer, so depending on the occasion, I’ll either layer it over another dress or wear underwear that’s meant to be seen.”
Jess Roberts, stylist
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“I have worn this dress everywhere. To nights out dancing, the beach, running errands around the city. It’s what I wear when I can’t think of what to wear.”
Hannah Zisman, co-founder of Bathen
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“My friend calls Oak & Fort the budget Totême, and I couldn’t agree more. It makes really great basics. I have worn this so much more than I thought I would. I can make a new outfit every time I wear it. It doesn’t feel like I’m just wearing the same thing over and over again.”
Sydney Utendahl, esthetician
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“All you have to think about is your accessories when you have the right dress. This dress is definitely one of those dresses. I know that it will always work and go with just about anything I have.”
Amelia Jerden, Strategist writer
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“This dress is the opposite of what I usually wear. So, despite it being a simple dress, it’s a risk for me! You probably wouldn’t want to wear underwear with super thick seams with it, but the lining helps prevent most underwear lines. I don’t have to wear a bra with it, either.”
Fran Miller, founder of F.Miller and creative director of Literary Sport
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“I first tried it on at Carmen in Amsterdam and realized I needed it shortly after. It felt like a natural extension of my favorite Flore Flore tees. It’s effortless but it’s still considered. The kind of dress that works even if you’re not a dress person.”
Nancy Rosenbloom, brand consultant
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“The crinkle effect makes it not feel too precious. I can throw it over a swimsuit because it dries quickly. I wore it recently straight from a freezing cold mountain swimming hole to a wine bar with friends. It dried while I was driving.”
Mbiye Kasonga, podcast producer
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“The best part of the dress is the pockets, so I don’t have to carry a purse. The pockets fit my phone, wallet, keys, and Airpods, and you can’t even tell all that’s in them because of the volume the dress has. It might be a midi, but it’s a maxi on me. It’s not so long that I’ll trip over it though.”
Maxi
Katie Stone, brand consultant and Strategist contributor
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“I’ve had this dress for one summer, and I’m excited to break it out again this summer. It’s the ultimate day-to-night outfit for an unending summer day. Last summer, I wore it on a single-day endeavor to the Hamptons and proceeded to go straight to dinner upon my return to the city. I think it says a lot that I could spend upward of 12 hours in this dress, five of which were on a Coach bus, without even a second of discomfort. I’ve worn it to plenty of dinners and birthday parties with ambiguous dress codes, and vacation evening outings. This dress makes me feel like a Carrie Bradshaw of sorts.”
Oset Babür-Winter, founder of Prix Fixe, & Aisha Joshi, editor at Produce Parties and Close Friends newsletter writer
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“Nowadays, if I’m buying something new, it’s from the Gap (otherwise, it’s secondhand). Because of all the endless browsing I do on Gap’s site, I found this. It reminds me a lot of Staud. There’s some smocking at the back that makes it really comfortable. The linen blend doesn’t wrinkle a ton, and the lining is nice and light.” —Oset Babür-Winter
“I can’t stand dresses that get sticky with the New York City humidity. So I get them in cottons and linens that don’t fit the body too closely. This is a little loose on my body. It’s not constricting. But it’s fitted in all the right places. I know I can have it on for a huge dinner and not feel like I’m going to explode out of it.” —Aisha Joshi
Lily Sullivan, writer of the Love and Other Rugs newsletter and head of partnerships at Big Night
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“I’m convinced this is the dress of the summer — if you are as addicted to tube tops and long white skirts as I am. I think this really exemplifies a chic summer. It’s the perfect weight, and it really pulls you in.”
Victoria Filippini, content creator and Taking Notesnewsletter writer
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“I was eyeing it online for six months, easily. I don’t often branch out for dress brands (Dôen, Sézane, and Faithfull the Brand are favorites), especially when they’re an international brand and returns can be trickier, not to mention duties. I was feeling brave so I ordered it, and it quickly became one of my most-worn dresses of last summer. It’s a gorgeous organic cotton twill with a nice sheen to it. It’s not sheer whatsoever. It’s different from anything else I own.”
[Editor’s note: The company lists its prices in Singaporean dollars. This is an approximation to U.S. dollars, and depending on the day’s conversion rate, it might be a few dollars more than $150.]
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The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
