Ingredients for the Perfect Sundress

It’s finally summer weather here in Idaho, and I’m definitely celebrating. It’s time for outdoor picnics, Italian ices, and slowing down. It’s also time for sundresses! Later this week I get to be part of Melissa’s (30) Days of Sundresses series, which got me thinking about the perfect sundress. And while my turn isn’t until Saturday, I still wanted to delve into what makes a great sundress.

A week or so ago, I asked on my Facebook page for some things my readers looked for in a sundress. I got a great variety of answers, and I loved that even though there were a lot of differences in specifics, there were several trends I noticed. So today I’m combining my preferences and those of my readers to bring you several ingredients for the perfect sundress.

• Coverage on Top. While there were differing thoughts on sleeves/sleeveless one thing I noticed is that the perfect sundress has enough coverage to keep you comfortable. Some things that were mentioned included straps that don’t tie, something you can wear a regular bra with, and sleeves. My perfect sundress has a cap sleeve–just enough to keep me covered but nothing that would make you hot.
• Loose design that’s still shapely. Design is so important to a sundress! If you’re out all day you want something that shows off your shape without being clingy. You want to have some air movement but you also don’t want to be in a tent. I love this particular dress for that reason. It’s definitely loose, but it has a great shape that’s visible.
• Lightweight, breathable fabric in a summery print. I personally think fabric choice is ALWAYS important. but especially so in a sundress. You want to coordinate how you want to feel in your sundress with how it actually looks. For this dress, for example, I wanted to feel happy and sunshiny and my choice of a gold/yellow floral combined with a fresh white eyelet accomplished that. You also want to keep in mind the fabric weight. You want to make sure you’re covered in one layer of breathable fabric so you can stay cool. 
• Dress length. You want to be comfortable in your sundress, so the perfect sundress has enough length that you can get down on a blanket, play a lawn game, or sit comfortably. For me, that length is right at my knees especially since I almost always have a child crawling on my lap, but that length may differ for you.

Dress pattern: Simplicity 2702

Fabric: Fabric.com (sold out, but this fabric would be amazing with this pattern)

Shoes: Target a few years ago

What do you think? Did I miss any elements to a perfect sundress?