Where to Buy Pretty Sustainable Summer Dresses
Summer days calls for summer dresses. But it’s important for them to be not just sustainable, but also comfortable. And that means choosing natural fabrics – cotton, hemp or linen.
Avoid Indian ‘lightweight loose weave’ summer dresses, as they are fire hazards. Most are made from thin fabric that burns easily, especially when blended with oil-based acrylic.
This pretty linen summer dress is made from eco-friendly linen. And made to order (time around 2 weeks) to avoid fabric waste.
Linen is from the flax plant (which needs less water than cotton to grow) and like hemp, can be grown locally (usually in mainland Europe). It absorbs moisture fast, to leave you dry. The texture if beautifully natural, but linen does wrinkle easily, so don’t wear, if you don’t like ironing!
Natural fabrics are not just softer on skin, but let your skin breathe, keeping you cooler in hot weather. And all can safely be laundered, without releasing microplastics from washing machines, into the sea.
For clothing with synthetic fabrics, launder a in microfibre filter, to catch microplastics from escaping washing machines, and going into the sea.
Most natural sunscreens contain pet-toxic zinc or titanium dioxide, so shower off before letting animal friends lick or kiss you!
Nomads Clothing Organic Cotton Dresses
Nomads Clothing offers beautiful feminine organic cotton dresses, made ethically in India with GOTS-certified organic cotton jersey. Many dresses have pockets, plus nice features like v-necklines and collars. Perfect for casual occasions, like garden parties.
You can buy these online, or may sometimes find them on sale in M & S on the high street.
Seasalt Organic Cotton Dresses
Seasalt is a Cornish-based clothing retailer, which makes a nice line of summer dresses. All are cotton, though you’ll have the use the search box to filter ones that are organic cotton. Again made ethically in India, most are made from organic cotton jersey.
These are pretty traditional dresses, often with short sleeves, wrap-style v-necks, drapey skirts and gentle gathers under the bust.
Choose from several prints and styles.
Joanie Dresses (sustainable vintage fashion)
Joanie is a fashion brand that offers lovely organic cotton dresses in vintage style, you can even choose your decade – from 50s flared skirts to 70s culottes!
You have to click the left hand side filter to find organic cotton dresses, as some are made from synthetic fibres. If bought, launder in a microfibre filter.
We don’t recommend the shoes as they are made from leather or suede. Instead, view our footwear tag to find nice vegan shoes and summer sandals.
The brand name was inspired by the founder’s ‘Aunt Joanie’ who would always ‘buy less, but buy better’.
Joanie’s designs nod to past decades, from 60s swing dresses to 70s florals. Each season, their collection brings pretty prints, that feel part of the past.
These dresses feature thoughtful details like Peter Pan collars and puff sleeves.
Joanie’s dresses are ideal for picnics, weddings or lazy days at home. Joanie’s Pre-Loved platform lets shoppers give their clothes a second life. Customers can buy or sell authentic Joanie items, keeping beautiful dresses out of landfill and in wardrobes for longer. We had a look, and found some lovely vintage dresses, all around £10.
Just take a few photos, send it off using the prepaid shipping label, and you get 110% credit for your next items.
What to Wear with Sustainable Summer Dresses
Of course, a sustainable summer dress looks nice on its own, whether it’s for a garden party, a picnic or the beach. Some other ideas include:
- Wear with a vegan belt, for shape and style.
- Pair with chunky vegan sandals or comfy espadrilles.
- Wear with an open shirt or jacket, for summer evenings.
- Pair with a straw hat and sustainable sunglasses.
