Dresses: They’re easy to pack, a fashion no-brainer, and they can go from casual to fancy even more easily than pants. That’s why they’re our absolute favorite type of clothing for travel. But you have to pack the right dresses for summer travel—versatile, wrinkle-free, and odor-resistant pieces that rock a travel wardrobe. Here are our favorite travel-friendly dresses for everyone—petite to plus size—this summer season.
Patagonia Latticeback Dress
Made from fabric that was originally developed for rugged climbing tights, you can bet this dress is resilient. No matter what you put it through, the Patagonia Latticeback Dress will keep its shape and lose the wrinkles and dust.
eShakti
Don’t you hate it when you find a dress off the rack that’s great—except it fits weird? That will never be the case at online retailer eShakti, where you can customize clothing to your specifications—and tailor the items to fit you. Best of all, it’s shockingly cheap—check out the Cotton Knit Faux Wrap Dress, which is perfect for travel thanks to its cotton/spandex jersey knit fabric.
White Sierra Tangier Mosaic Dress
White Sierra’s Tangier Mosaic Dress is made from a very cool bamboo rayon/spandex knit fabric that’s wrinkle-resistant and moisture-wicking. Get this and you can easily go from the plane to dinner without changing.
Patagonia Margot Dress
Patagonia has a great reputation for outdoorsy active-lifestyle clothing. But if you’ve always imagined its clothes as more high-country than high-fashion, you might be surprised by its awesome women’s collection, which is packed with cute options like this Margot dress. It’s made from Fair Trade Certified organic cotton (with a little bit of spandex added in for extra stretch) and it comes in great patterns and colors.
Aventura Avis Dress
Aventura’s Avis Dress refuses to wrinkle, no matter what you do to it—thanks to its eco-friendly rayon fabric made from bamboo.
TravelSmith Short-Sleeved Basic Indispensable Travel Dress
The name says it all: The Short-Sleeved Basic Indispensable Travel Dress from TravelSmith is just that. It’s available in plus size and petite, and is made from a wrinkle-resistant, lightweight, moisture-wicking fabric.
Ojai Clothing Comfy Sundress
The super lightweight rayon batik Ojai Clothing Comfy Sundress is perfect for beach or cruise vacations. The fabric is soft and airy, and the patterns and colors are tropical and vibrant.
Downeast Striped Long Maxi T-Shirt Dress
Going somewhere where you need to be a little more covered up? The Downeast Long Maxi T-Shirt Dress is light enough to keep you cool, and modest enough to get you into any religious or cultural sight where you’d need to have shoulders and legs covered. And, it’s available in plus sizes!
TravelSmith Samantha Brown Short-Sleeve Reversible Wrap Dress
Pack one dress and get double the outfits with the Samantha Brown Short-Sleeve Reversible Wrap Dress. Made from Supima cotton, this dress is soft and easy to take care of—and offers built-in sun protection.
ExOfficio Women’s Cross Front Dress
The ExOfficio Go-To Cross-Front Dress has a secret—a hidden security zip pocket located in the hem where you can stash your cash or credit cards. It’s also tag-less for your comfort, and wrinkle-resistant, moisture-wicking, and odor-resistant.
Lands’ End Sleeveless Maxi Dresses
Maxi dresses can be great for travel, as they keep you covered but cool and comfortable. But if you’re anything but model-sized, it can be hard to find one that fits you right. That’s why we like this Lands’ End maxi dress, which comes in petite, regular, tall, and plus sizes.
More from SmarterTravel:
- 10 Travel-Friendly Dresses with Pockets
- 10 Things You Need on Your Road Trip
- The Best Travel Bags for Guys
Caroline Morse loves all things fashion, especially items that work for both travel and everyday life. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline and on Twitter @CarolineMorse1 for more clothing and travel inspiration.
Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2015. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
Kenya: 14-Night Tour, Incl. Tanzania &...
smarTours
vacation
$7125+
7-Night Caribbean Round-Trip Cruise From Orlando:...
Norwegian Cruise Line
cruise
$739+
Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental
$19+