The Summer Dress Of Your Dreams Has Pockets

Checking Out is a new shopping column straight from the cart of Simone Oliver, Refinery29’s global EIC. She wears many hats (all of them stylish), and she’s always got an inspiring, wish-worthy list on deck. Watch this space for monthly market musings from Simone (and sometimes, a special guest). These aren’t just editor’s picks — they’re THEE editor’s picks.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve stopped someone on the street to compliment their dress and received the following joyful response: “Thank you! It has pockets!” The elation in their face; the pride in their voice! It’s almost as if the dress-wearer in question was waiting to share only that fact.

Utility factor aside, I really like relaxing my arms in pockets. Having a place to keep my hands allows me to stand feeling relaxed and confident, without an ounce of standoffishness. If I’m ever on the fence about a dress purchase, the presence of pockets is usually the nudge that pushes me to purchase. When online shopping, I love it when a dress’s description includes whether it has a home for my hands or not. (When a brand keeps me guessing on a frock’s pocket status, I curse it in my mind. What keeps me up at night? Wishing more retailers included pockets as an option in their navigation or search filters.)

For most roomy dress shapes, I’ve almost come to expect pockets; for slimmer silhouettes, pockets are a delightful surprise, especially when the piece is made well. (No one wants that weird hip bunching that some pockets create, especially if they are washable fabrics and are fresh out of the dryer.) Even luxury brands like Sea New York, Ulla Johnson and Miguelina have shown a unique knack for taking smart day dresses that scream “fancy” and giving them pockets.

Ahead, I’ve pulled together a range of versatile, casual warm-weather dresses of different shapes, lengths and patterns; each one offering you a place to store your phone and lip balm. (The Ganni and Levi’s collaboration frock I’m wearing here is sold out at the moment, but enterprising souls can track down secondhand versions on eBay.) If you’re out and about wearing one and someone shows you love on the street — be sure to tell them it has pockets.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

Open Edit Print Shift Dress

A ho-hum summer mini this is not. Click out to Nordy’s hallowed homepage and you’ll see that this printed (and pocketed) shift boasts an almond-shaped cutout that reveals a smidge of the lower back, making this frock both fun and fully SFW (Safe for Family Weddings).

Shop **Nordstrom**

**Open Edit** Print Shift Dress, $, available at Nordstrom

Farm Rio Summer Tapestry Square Neck Mini Dress

It’s summer all year long at Farm Rio, the print-happy Brazilian brand that brings a touch of tropical *joie de vivre* to all of its offerings. In addition to pockets, this verdant mini dress has voluminous sleeves and a flattering smocked bodice for plenty of proportional play.

Shop **Farm Rio**

**Farm Rio** Summer Tapestry Square Neck Mini Dress, $, available at Farm Rio

We The Free Hannah Denim Mini Dress

If you follow the link to Free People’s dot-com you’ll see a surprising sight — this knee-skimming denim dress styled fully open over a cropped top and black jeans. As if the presence of pockets didn’t make the lightly distressed cotton tunic versatile enough, you also have the option of wearing it as a floaty layer. This one’s popular with the frock flock, too: “I saw a girl walking past me with this jean dress and thought it was so cute,” wrote one intrepid reviewer, “so I Googled ‘jean dress with ruffle sleeves’ and found it and I’m so glad I did!”

Shop **Free People**

**We The Free** Hannah Denim Mini Dress, $, available at Free People

Madewell Embroidered Puff-Sleeve Babydoll Dress in Indigo Plaid

“Many compliments,” wrote a reviewer, employing the universal shorthand that we all use to measure the success of a dress. Replete with homespun details like embroidery and a generous wash of indigo dye, this plaid cotton shift has summer written all over it — and of course, pockets sewn right into it.

Shop **Madewell**

**Madewell** Embroidered Puff-Sleeve Babydoll Dress in Indigo Plaid, $, available at Madewell

Everlane Corduroy Mini Dress

This truly transitional tunic boasts a hemline (short) and back (dipped) worthy of the breeziest spring outing, but the soft corduroy fabrication makes it fall-friendly, too. However, it’s really the pockets that make it a dress for all seasons.

Shop **Everlane**

**Everlane** The Corduroy Mini Dress, $, available at Everlane

Kate Spade Julia Stripe Bungalow Dress

Full disclosure: this candy-colored frock is rapidly approaching sold-out status — most likely owing to its picture-perfect picnic-ready silhouette. Reviewers find the breezy cotton poplin piece to be very oversized — but those that seek a tent-like silhouette “love the fit,” in the words of reviewer Susan.

Shop **Kate Spade**

**Kate Spade** Julia Stripe Bungalow Dress, $, available at Kate Spade

Uniqlo Button Down Camisole Flare Dress

With a grassy green hue and a slinky rayon fabrication, this ’90s-inspired dress feels like a brag-to-all-your-friends thrift-store find. Would the vintage version of this dress have had pockets, though?

Shop **Uniqlo**

**Uniqlo** Button Down Camisole Flare Dress, $, available at Uniqlo

COS A-line Denim Dress

Georgia O’Keeffe has entered the chat. This long, all-over denim dress gives the illusion of the chic-est Canadian tuxedo, and we know that the New Mexico-based artist (and patron saint of high desert style) would approve of this functional frock — and its pockets.

Shop COS

COS A-line Denim Dress, $, available at COS