The Summer Dress Of Your Dreams Has Pockets

I’ve lost count of the times I've stopped someone on the street to compliment their dress and received the following joyful response: "Thank you! It has pockets!" The elation in their face; the pride in their voice! It’s almost as if the dress-wearer in question was waiting to share only that fact. 

Utility factor aside, I really like relaxing my arms in pockets. Having a place to keep my hands allows me to stand feeling relaxed and confident, without an ounce of standoffishness. If I’m ever on the fence about a dress purchase, the presence of pockets is usually the nudge that pushes me to purchase. When online shopping, I love it when a dress’s description includes whether it has a home for my hands or not. (When a brand keeps me guessing on a frock’s pocket status, I curse it in my mind. What keeps me up at night? Wishing more retailers included pockets as an option in their navigation or search filters.)

For most roomy dress shapes, I've almost come to expect pockets; for slimmer silhouettes, pockets are a delightful surprise, especially when the piece is made well. (No one wants that weird hip bunching that some pockets create, especially if they are washable fabrics and are fresh out of the dryer.) Even luxury brands like Sea New York, Ulla Johnson and Miguelina have shown a unique knack for taking smart day dresses that scream “fancy” and giving them pockets.

Ahead, I've pulled together a range of versatile, casual warm-weather dresses of different shapes, lengths and patterns; each one offering you a place to store your phone and lip balm. (The Ganni and Levi’s collaboration frock I’m wearing here is sold out at the moment, but enterprising souls can track down secondhand versions on eBay.) If you’re out and about wearing one and someone shows you love on the street — be sure to tell them it has pockets.