Undoubtedly the most exciting spring dress collection to hit the high street is the H&M wildflower collection (I mentioned it in The April 5 and promptly bought the dress you can see me wearing in these shots). By now though, unfortunately, it seems to be mostly sold out – in fact the only option currently available in many sizes is this beauty.
It got me hunting for some suitable alternatives however and I came up with fifteen of the absolute best from the high street for under £50… (ok, ok, and five that are not). I paid special attention to the fabrics, details, versatility and cuts so you will find mostly cottons, beautiful textures, lace trims, pieces that can be layered easily and gorgeous detailing in this edit.
Scroll down to discover my favourites…
15 UNDER £50 (PART I)
tie-dye print dress – Mango
blue textured gingham wrap midi dress – River Island
tie belt blue print mini dress – H&M (comes in black too)
white textured ruffle wrap mini dress – Mango (comes in red too)
palm print short shirt dress – Zara
white lace midi dress – Marks & Spencer (comes in black too)
cream v neck plumetti maxi dress – H&M (comes in a few prints too)
I could not resist that tie dye Mango number, oh my, the cutout back detailing is just perfect – delightfully, you can still wear a regular bra with it and, although it turned out to be the most gorgeous wafty cotton, the skirt is lined and not transparent in the slightest (you can see me wearing it on Instagram here).
Lots of lovely creamy lace because I just adore a white dress in the spring, somehow it feels so optimistic, and I think this H&M maxi might just be my favourite – I concede it does not look much on the hanger but I have seen Kirsty try this one on and it was incredible on her – such beautiful plumetti detail and only £29.99 (I would probably belt it with a nice leather tie like my Isabel Marant, sorry, Mango one)…
15 UNDER £50 (PART II)
orange puff sleeve maxi kaftan – H&M
yellow seersucker shirred midi dress – New Look
ochre stripe puff sleeve short dress – Mango
pink cutwork embroidery midi dress – Zara (comes in white too)
lilac open back midi dress – Asos
lilac gingham maxi dress – Warehouse
black shirred midi dress – New Look
polka dot shirred maxi dress – Asos
Shout out, first of all, to New Look for offering up a nice selection of Daily Sleeper-esque dresses for a mere fraction of the price – you can find their current selection here but the sunflower yellow and classic black have my vote.
I will confess to being mighty tempted by that Asos lilac open back dress – on sale down to £25 and the shape looks super complimentary. Purple was consistently the only colour that repelled me, that was, until I discovered its far prettier cousin – lilac. A universally flattering shade and so utterly perfect paired with a summer tan…
AND 5 THAT ARE NOT…
riders striped cotton rainbow maxi dress – Zimmermann (tempted by this more affordable option)
green Jacqueline linen midi dress – Reformation
white selma maxi shirt dress – Sezane (this one is a close second)
summer chintz amelia cotton maxi dress – Boden
white broderie tiered midi dress – Jigsaw (comes in black too)
Of course my travels around the www threw a few spanners in the works too and I felt it would be remiss not to mention them – the showstealers – the ‘blow the budget’ dresses. I whittled it down to five and honestly believe these all to be timeless options that will easily transcend the seasons too – you want a bit more bang for your buck if you are clicking on one of these babies.
I have had a white maxi shirt dress for a couple of years now and it is definitely one I pull out of the wardrobe again and again; it is so easy to layer up or belt up for different options. Sezane have hit the nail on the head with this option – the cutwork sleeve details, oh my…
You know Zimmermann has my heart when it comes to spring summer dressing and this rainbow dress has been on my imaginary wishlist for months… and there it shall stay because the price tag is frightening. I did, however, discover this sleeveless version on Boden last night which, with a nice rope belt (like this one), might just scratch the itch – what do you think?
For spring dress styling ideas please do hop on over to my new fashion account @thankfifiwears
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OUTFIT DETAILS
dress – H&M
aviators – Ray-Ban
earrings – Ben Amun via The Outnet
biography locket – Astley Clarke
mille ring & bracelet – Astley Clarke
aura ring – Louise Hendricks
Swoon .. You look amazing I love how delicate the print on your dress is.
Meg
Author
so glad I managed to get my hands on it!
Sooo many beautiful dresses ! Definitely scratch that itch on the Boden one!
Author
it’s a goodie isn’t it!