20 Summer Dresses You Can Actually Wear To The Beach

Our favorite days are when we wake up, hop in the car (or on the subway), and plant ourselves in a swath of golden sand for the entire day. It’s the creme de la creme for a Lazy Sunday: There’s little to no planning involved, especially concerning what to wear, since whatever we choose will inevitably find itself tossed aside at the first sight of water. Beach cover-ups and caftans are made for those stay-outside-all-day kind of days, but let’s be real: A loose dress works just as well.

Sure, wearing something a little more "put-together" may not feel totally beach-y. But once you've decided the specifics — do you want the hem to graze the sand just right? Do you want to go super-short and show a ton of leg? — it actually requires minimal styling (obviously, you're still spending your day in the sand). So lay out on your favorite towel and click through for 20 cool-girl options that work just as well à la plage as they do, well, à la anywhere else.