28 Best Midi Dresses 2023: Best Midi Dresses Tested & Reviewed

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Name a time or place—a midi dress works for it.

On any given day at the BAZAAR office, editors are tackling designer interviews and refining major spring 2023 trend guides while wearing the best midi dresses. Midi dresses possess the same work-friendly polish as the best black blazers and a fluid suit set pant, with unique cuts, lengths, and patterns that give each one extra personality. No two editors own the exact same midi dresses, but they all share the same elevated attitude.

To me, a fashion editor and midi dress connoisseur, Dôen, Tove, and Staud are a few of the many labels designing the best midi dresses right now. What sets my most worn dresses apart can be hard to put into words. I know my favorites on a style-by-style basis: one hits at the exact height for accentuating a tall leather boot, another has a swishy skirt that turns a walk down the hallway into a strut. Aside from midi lengths that inspire big feelings, I asked Alison Cohn, deputy fashion news editor and a fellow midi dress expert, to define the essential qualities of the best versions worth shopping. She told me, "The perfect midi dress balances structure and softness, with a flowy skirt and a more fitted bodice. I particularly love shirt dress styles."

Many of the best midi dresses feel brand-new after a few wears simply by exchanging your footwear, Cohn added. "I style them with knee-high boots for an easy approach to transitional dressing and flat or block heel sandals once it's warm outside," she said. Experimenting with layers—like a tissue-thin bodysuit under a sleeveless style, or a half-tucked sweater over a dress with a full skirt—also extends their longevity.

Whether you're after a tailored work dress or laid-back florals, the best midi dresses will become true wardrobe heroes. Ahead, shop 28 midi dresses with the same year-round wearability as BAZAAR editors' favorites.

Have you ever seen a stranger wearing a piece that's so good, you're compelled to walk right up and ask where they bought it? That's more or less the backstory for how I first laid eyes on this Alessandra Rich dress. A visitor to my office was wearing this polka dot midi with layered necklaces and a bright kitten heel, and the rest is shopping history. Pay special attention to the shoulders: The slight volume comes from bows laid flat across the shoulder.

There's no shortage of button-down shirt dresses to shop for spring. But instead of a classic white poplin or chambray blue, I'm drawn to ba&sh's moody tie-dye print. Cinched with a belt and paired with a directional sandal heel, it's both classic and cool.

When it's your day to commute and you're not in the mood for a suit set, this Karen Kane dress is the answer. It has a conservative length and neckline for the office, but the contemporary colorblocking feels unexpected.

Dresses with a smart knot at the center and a flowing skirt are some of Tove's best pieces. They're understated from a color or pattern perspective, allowing the structure to really shine. I always get the most questions about what I'm wearing in a Tove dress—particularly, "Do you know if it's still available?"

Mara Hoffman dresses have a special ability to make whoever's wearing them feel a little more confident. Her designs embrace bodies, more than simply covering them up, especially where her signature popcorn fabric is involved. This new arrival elevates the clingy material from simple tank dresses to an evening drop-skirt dress with a stunning open back.

I've worn this Staud dress more times than I can count since ordering it last summer. It made its maiden voyage at New York Fashion Week, where some of my harder-to-impress fashion friends gave it a ton of compliments. The skirt has substantial shape and movement, but it doesn't feel heavy, and the square neckline is universally flattering.

The details that give party dresses their oomph—taffeta skirts, dramatic cutouts, anything with sequins—lean on the impractical side. But this fringed midi has a simple knitted sheath as its base, which strikes me as the ideal mix of comfortable and party dress code approved.

If there's a casual midi dress worth ordering in multiples, it's Dôen's Ischia dress. I have it in two separate floral prints and am eyeing this blue for spring. These have the ethereal, dreamy quality I love in all of Dôen's pieces, plus an added comfort factor in the adjustable neckline and waistline. It's weekend farmer's market material with a low leather sandal, but with a slip underneath and an oversized blazer on top, I also wear this dress style to the BAZAAR office—and often.

Sandy Liang's downtown uniform and the many women wearing it were some of my favorite sightings throughout fashion month. A midi dress with a giant nautical collar and nipped-in waist is definitely a specific look. But after taking styling notes from Liang's biggest fans, I can image this with everything from a fluffy fleece jacket and her hard-to-find Mary Janes to flat sandals and a straw bag.

Moms-to-be in my circle have been saying maternity dresses that fit their usual style are hard to find. According to reviewers like the one below, Stine Goya's bright lineup also works through the second and third trimester. Bump-friendly details include a higher smocked waist that can adjust with a changing body.

Shopper review: "Such a fun dress!! I am pregnant and this dress works great. I bought my pre pregnancy size and it's very comfortable."

Sweater dress season always starts earlier and ends later than I expect. This Hanifa midi dress brings the spring energy even when it's still below freezing. (Plus, the exaggerated neckline and leg-slits make this knit so much sexier than your usual blanket sweater.)

Bubble hems are back, baby, and Khaite's is the most elegant take I've bookmarked so far. The skirt deserves all the attention, so keep accessories minimal with a low strappy sandal and a little top-handle bag like Savette's symmetry pouch.

No single garment puts me in a happier mood more quickly than this Reformation dress. The sweetheart neckline and little cap sleeves frame dainty necklaces to perfection. And the color? It's even better person—usually when I'm heading out the door for dinner.

Striped cotton midi dresses are in heavy supply as soon as the temperature rises above 65 degrees. While I always love an uncomplicated midi, I'm drawn to the unexpected edge of this Batsheva take, with its crisscrossing velvet ribbons on the chest and sleeves. It feels a little daring because it's covered up, and that attitude will only be amplified with a big, bad, chunky loafer. For a heavier, fall-appropriate take, the Clemmie dress also comes in denim.

With its fall 2023 collection, Scandi brand Ganni is unveiling a new look that's heavy on suiting separates and structured dresses. But the label is still keeping its playful energy in the dress department, in the form of this wavy leopard print midi. It's a canvas for patent leather accessories in bright tones to really stand out.

Siedres has been high on my dress shopping radar ever since Shopbop fashion director Caroline Maguire flagged it as one of her favorite emerging labels last year. Fast forward to the present, and the brand has delivered a slinky, open-front dress I'm dying to layer over another satin slip or with—gasp!—jeans and a little bra top.

A friend recently asked me for help choosing a dress for her birthday outfit. I sent her this one, along with a few others from the list you're reading now. From the vibrant coral color to the keyhole bodice detail and all those little shoulder straps, it's a midi dress for when you want to be the center of attention.

I'm admittedly not much of a bodycon girl, but this dress from Farm Rio has made me do a one-eighty on clingy dresses. First, because the print is such a fun, slightly mysterious take on summer botanicals. Second, because reviewers like the one below say it's comfortable enough to wear for hours on end.

Shopper review: "Wore for a company dinner, and received compliments all night. Fabric is stretchy/breathable, but doesn't lose its shape. "

Some of the best midi dresses are the most simple, like this size-inclusive tank dress with a drop-waist, classic color, and pockets. When you want a dress that looks effortlessly polished and feels like your favorite T-shirt, this is it.

Shopper review: "I’m happy I went for this dress. It feels amazing on, the color is a great!"

I've noticed a bit of a trend among the most stylish women I follow on Instagram: Whether they're fashion directors at a luxury retailer or designers in their own right, they're all wearing emerging label Attersee when they're really dressing up. I can imagine them (or myself!) swishing to a summer gala in this fringe-hemmed linen midi.

Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.

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