3 Must-Have Summer Dress Styles You Need to Know

This post is sponsored by Walmart. I only highlight and share products that I use and truly love. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Empty Nest Blessed!

Your pal Suzy is here to tell you something that you are going to love: Walmart Fashion should be your go-to spot for everything you need this summer! From cookouts in the backyard to festive July 4th gatherings and pool parties, Walmart Fashion has you covered. (Literally)! 🤣

You may not have thought of Walmart as a serious style destination, but you already know it’s a one-stop shop for all of your everyday summer needs! You can find everything from gardening supplies and grills to pool floats and adorable patriotic paper goods. (Not to mention all of those groceries you need!) Walmart keeps prices low every day so that you know you’re getting a great deal without having to trek all over town. In addition, this time of year, they have amazing Weekly Flash Deals, helping you save even more.

In the past few years, we’ve really seen Walmart establish itself as a credible style destination! If you’re looking for serious summer style, along with good value, Walmart is your spot. They have everything you could want for summer style! Today I’m sharing the 3 must-have summer dress styles you need to know. I’ve got styles that will work for all of your summer activities, from errands to weddings!

As usual, click any pink text link or image for more information, to check alternate colors, etc. Everything fits TTS, unless I tell you otherwise!

The 3 Must-Have Summer Dress Styles

Let’s talk terminology! (Because these things can change from year to year!) Here’s your 2023 breakdown:

• Maxi Dress – This year, the maxi dress usually hits just above the ankle. (All the better to show off your cute sandals!)
• Midi Dress – Look for the hem of the midi dress to hit somewhere between just below the knee and mid-calf.
• Mini Dress – Don’t panic! 🤣 This year, the term “mini dress” refers to anything above the knee – from just above the knee to mid-thigh.

The Maxi Dress

Free Assembly Sleeveless Square Neck Maxi Dress (Click HERE for other colors/prints.) | Time and Tru Women’s Floppy Hat | Time & Tru Slide Sandal (With Memory Foam! 👍) | Time And Tru Eb Pm Triangle Hoop Drop Earring

Without a doubt, the maxi dress is my favorite dress of the season this year. I love it for the feminine styling, sun protection, and the fact that it creates a slimming line as it skims over your curves. (Especially if it has vertical stripes, like the 100% cotton, bra-friendly square neck maxi dress I chose above! ) The dress I’m wearing is lined, and it has a smocked back for a custom fit, bust darts, pockets, and it comes in print and solid styles.

Check out all of the darling maxi dresses at Walmart HERE.

The Midi Dress

Time and Tru Smocked Midi Dress with Ruffle Straps | Time & Tru Slide Sandal (on left & right) | Time and Tru Braided Heel Sandals (center) These run large. Order a size down. | Time And Tru Eb Pm Triangle Hoop Drop Earring

When I shopped for dresses for this post, I intended to get one of each kind. 😏 But I found so many cute styles, and I was so blown away by the quality…I ended up with five dresses instead of just three! 😂 The Time and Tru smocked midi dress with ruffled straps above (and at the top of this post) is my very favorite! Ya gotta love a Madras plaid in the summer, right? This one comes in a fun blue/green Madras plaid and a pale blue as well. It’s another dress that’s bra-friendly and comes with pockets 🙌.

Like maxi dresses, midi’s provide sun protection, flow beautifully over your body, and often come with features we all love, like pockets! (#welovepockets) While you can find some that are more form-fitting midi dresses, I love the easy-breezy, flowy look the very best! (And most of the ones I found at Walmart were loose, cool, and flowy.) The tiered midi dress I’m wearing below has the cutest adjustable back straps! It’s still (strapless) bra-friendly, and again, it’s got flattering vertical stripes! I love that it comes in sizes XS-XXXL.

Free Assembly Sleeveless Double Strap Cross Back Tiered Midi Dress (Also comes in blue. Click HERE to see it!) | Time and Tru Braided Heel Sandals These run large. Order a size down. | Time And Tru Eb Pm Triangle Hoop Drop Earring

You can check out all of Walmart’s midi dresses HERE.

The Mini Dress

Free Assembly Mini T-Shirt Dress (Comes in 6 colors/prints. See them all HERE.) | Time and Tru Women’s Floppy Hat | Time And Tru Eb Pm Triangle Hoop Drop Earring

SANDALS (L to R): Time and Tru Women’s Braided Wedge Espadrille Sandals (Wide widths available.) Also comes in black.) |Time & Tru Slide Sandal (Also in black and brown.) | Time and Tru Braided Heel Sandals (Also in black.)

Mini dresses that fall above the knee are a summer staple! I have so many t-shirt dresses in my closet and I love how soft and comfy they feel against my skin! This one is a perfect addition to my collection! It comes in 6 colors/prints. (See them all HERE.)

T-shirt dresses are so versatile! I’ve shown the one above to you with three different sandals! Let me know in the comments which you like the best! I love wearing t-shirt dresses with this year’s trendy platform sneakers, but I just had to show you THESE braided wedge espadrille sandals, since we’ve talked so much about how espadrilles are one of the most popular sandals styles this season!

No Boundaries Sleeveless Ruffle Dress | Time & Tru Slide Sandal | Time And Tru Eb Pm Triangle Hoop Drop Earring

I definitely wear shorter dresses in the summer than I do in the winter! For me, they’re like a cooler, more feminine version of shorts! I usually pair them with flat sandals, as I did here because it feels a little more modest and age-appropriate! Also, I’m a big fan of self-tanner, as you know! 😄

You can check out all of Walmart’s mini dresses HERE.

I hope you all were as surprised and delighted as I was by the fabulous dresses at Walmart this summer! Which of the three must-have summer dress styles is your favorite? Let me know in the comments, okay?

You can take a look at all of our must-have summer dress styles at the very bottom of this post, but we put together our very favorite dresses in the clickable collage below.

Summer Accessory Finds

We weren’t originally planning to do this, but while we were putting together this post, we also found so many adorable accessories, which blew us away! Take a look at our favorites in the (clickable) collage below!

Here’s another look at all of the styles we featured in this post. Click through on anything you like to check out pricing and other color/print options!