On the hottest of hot days, the idea of wearing anything resembling clothes sounds like a nightmare.  Unless you want to spend the night in prison, you have to wear something.  Breathability and clothing that sits as far away from the body as possible are ideal.   Isn’t this why most of us have at least once casual dress in our closets?

With summer right around the corner, I am styling one casual summer dress five ways using this style from Eileen Fisher.  The goal with these looks is to style it in different ways so you can wear it from super casual to a bit more dressed up.  Take a look at the outfit ideas below for inspiration and shop additional styles at the end of this post.

Five Ways to Style a Casual Summer Dress

Outfit #1

casual summer dress
This first outfit strikes middle ground of being casual and just a little dressed up.  It’s not too fancy for anything special but not so casual that you’ll look like your running errands.  I styled the dress with a pair of yellow wedge sandals from Kork-Ease, a layered Kendra Scott necklace and navy crossbody from Baggu.

Outfit #2

casual summer dress
This next look is a more casual. It can be dressed up with a change of shoes, but for a more casual day, these gold Fit Flops give the outfit a more casual appearance.  I finished the outfit with printed scarf that works with the color of the dress while introducing some complementary shades.  The look gets popped with a poppy bag from Tory Burch.

Outfit #3

casual summer dress

All it takes is an accessories swap to elevate this casual summer dress.  I added a pair of blush pink heeled sandals from Cole Haan and a pair of statement earrings from Halsbrook.  For arm coverage, I included this shrug cardigan from Hobb’s.

Outfit #4

casual summer dress

Back to casual, this look is styled with slip on sneakers in silver from Frye and a white denim jacket from J. Crew.  I finished the outfit with a pineapple printed tote and silver filigree drop earrings.

Outfit #5

casual summer dress

Lastly, I gave this casual summer dress a different look by adding a long cardigan.  It will undoubtedly get cold indoors in the summer so don’t go packing away your cardigans.  They can be of great use in the hot weather.  I layered this long linen blend cardigan over the dress to create an effortless outfit.  The look is finished with a pair of navy wedge sandals from Clarks a navy pendant from Stella & Dot and chartreuse bag from Hobo.

Shop for casual summer dresses

Looking to add some casual summer dresses to your wardrobe?  Check out these styles.