Fashion mavens each zero in on one iconic style to get you through the sunny season—or maybe two

The iconic summer dress has to play many roles. It needs to be as much at ease on the sand as on a patio with cocktails—equal parts Gidget and Carrie Bradshaw.

Admittedly, it’s a lot to ask of a single piece of clothing, but fortunately this is the summer of the dress. Still, all the alternatives can be overwhelming, so we turned to some fashion mavens to pick one favourite from the masses.

Claire Lindsay Burke’s choice of the season embodies the eco-chic thrust of her Planet Claire Clothing, Etc. (212 Abbott Street). Miami-based Meadow Designs’ Green Tea dress ($145) is a white strapless dress in sustainable hemp, with funky lime-green stitching. It has the structure of a formal dress, with subtle corsetlike boning on the bodice, and yet it has the breeziness of a pleated skirt.

“It’s easy to wear. It’s a simple white running-on-the-beach dress; you can put a bathing suit underneath it or dress it up for night,” she says, adding of the linenlike fabric: “It’s hemp and a Tencel blend, and I think that’s a cool material to use. For sure you won’t find this anywhere else in Vancouver and it’s only carried at one other store in Canada.”

Burke would pair this baby with something that picks up on the green-tea stitching—lime sandals or a pashmina. “I carry the same designer’s boleros, so that’s a good choice with it too,” she adds.

Orb designer Melissa Walker goes with the Ra-Ra dress ($76 at Orb Clothing [2028 West 4th Avenue]), a brilliant beachgoer with spaghetti straps and gathers in all the right places. “It’s a flattering, not-too-fitted dress because of the dropped waist and ruching at the bust. It’s not super structured, which I like for the beach.”

Allison Wonderland’s Picnic look (from Dream Apparel and Articles for People); Orb Clothing’s beach-friendly Ra-Ra frock; and Meadow Designs’ Green Tea style (from Planet Claire).

The dress’s breezy feel comes from the gauzy layer of mod geometric-print burnout cotton that lies over another layer of cotton. Take it easy on the accessories—Walker suggests a hat and flip-flops. The dress comes in black as well as a bright reddish-coral sherbet, but Walker favours basic white: “I’m into a really effortless look this summer. I have so many structured dresses that I want something looser for summer.”

Janine Furtado, French Connection marketing manager and press coordinator, goes for something a little more glam. The eccentrically named Fast Zero Dotty dress ($148 at 1150 Robson Street) is a rare combination of nautical tailoring, frothy ruffles, and Romanesque draping. On top, the viscose navy-blue number has a swathe of gauzy fabric that sweeps up and ties in a bow at one shoulder, over the strapless sweetheart neckline. The skirt cascades with tiered ruffles, each layer lined in smart white trim.

“It’s fun, it’s flirty, and it’s right on trend. It has a nautical feel—the colour is conservative—but it’s still sexy,” Furtado says. “It looks stunning on anyone too.”

With all that going on in one dress, you don’t need to add much else. “I’d pair it with nice bangles because you don’t want to mess with that neckline. Cute heels and you’re done,” she says.

Over at Dream Apparel & Articles for People, owner Wendy de Kruyff scans the locally designed pieces on her racks for a true classic. She comes up with Allison Wonderland’s iconic Picnic dress, for its timeless lines, light cotton-linen, and cute pockets ($178 at 311 Cordova Street and 1666 Johnston Street, Granville Island)—a look that’s definitely more Gidget than Carrie.

“She’s done it in the floral fabric, but I like the denim-y blue or the brown. I’m not a print person; I’m more of a plain Jane,” de Kruyff says with a laugh. “The skirt is full but not too full—just enough so you can sit down and cover up your legs—and the straps cover the bra. She’s aiming at a dress that’s not a throwaway.”

But wait—she’s not done. “There’s also the Cuchí¨ boat dress,” she says, referring to the Vancouver label’s retro cotton boat-neck look, with its Jean Seberg–style navy-and-white stripes and three-quarter sleeves. “I’ve loved that kind of dress since I was 15. And all the stripes match, which explains the $200 price tag—because each of these [dresses] is hand-cut.” It comes with a belt, but de Kruyff is just as happy to see it plain and simple.

Hey, wait a minute, that’s two. Maybe it is a bit hard to do everything with one dress, after all.