As a fashion editor, there’s an almost smug sensibility that comes with wearing a specific silhouette long before it became a viral sensation, which is exactly how I feel about the rise of the rosette dress trend.
For the uninitiated, a rosette is a form of protruding floral appliqué that adds a romantic and botanical appeal to any ensemble, especially a balmy summer dress. I first fell in love with them after stumbling into Pico Copenhagen, which is a Danish accessories boutique styled with dark lacquered wood that gives the saccharine brooches and hairpins it stocks an almost old-school apothecary feel. Now, I’m never far from the style, fixing my candy-coloured and peony-inspired styles to the lapels of my jackets, tying my lily-esque styles into my hair in lieu of a ribbon, or simply tacking them onto my shirt for some extra dimension.
So, naturally, when I saw the first inclinations of a rosette dress redux, my interest was naturally piqued. Leading this trend is none other than Réalisation Par, a brand revered for its ethereal prints and dreamlike silhouettes. Their new Mount Street boutique in Mayfair is nothing short of retail heaven, and it was alongside the curated antiques and analogue film photobooth that Olivia Dean picked up one of the London-based brand’s rosette dresses.
Leaning into the effortless elegance and soft glamour of the cap-sleeve style, the Grammy Award-winning musician posted a photo of herself wearing it whilst on a tour break in Italy. Anointing the dress as the defining style of the season, she juxtaposed the graceful, floral detailing against the scintillating backdrop of Taormina in Sicily, proving it a staple for balmy clients and cool summer wardrobes.
Of course, those who keep a close eye on the trend cycle would be acutely aware that the rosette dress trend is just one of a series of nostalgic trends that have come back from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. The earliest proponent of this trend in popular culture would be none other than Carrie Bradshaw.
Often seen running around Manhattan, be it meeting her girlfriends on Saturday morning at their local brunch spot or skulking around the Upper East Side in the evening at a cocktail bar with Mr Big, the beloved fictional columnist was never far from the oversized motif, making it one of her most defining fashion legacies in the years since the show’s end. (Though there was a small but memorable reprisal of the rosette in And Just Like That.)
When a trend has earned the approval of the It girl pack for decades, it’s enough to collectively acquiesce that rosette dresses are indeed in bloom. Plus, with Matthieu Blazy rendering Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite flower, the camellia, in technicolour hues for his creations at the helm of the French maison and Dior’s Jonathan Anderson well invested in his sartorial green thumb, this form of garden-inspired dressing has endorsements from the upper echelons of fashion, too.
As Harry Styles, another known purveyor of the trend, said, everything’s coming up roses…
Shop the Rosette Dress Trend for Summer 2026
A heavenly print that will seamlessly slip into your existing summer dress rotation.
The flower embellishment is just the finishing touch on this blissful silhouette.
With a Monet-inspired colour palette, this slightly sheer dress will complement any summer plan, from garden picnics to an escape to the countryside.
Though not technically a dress, this two-piece set his low-effort, high-impact.
I’m entering my bridal era, and this Rat and Boa strapless dress is the type of thing I’d love to include in my wedding wardrobe.
For a more diminutive version of this trend, try this subdued Mango style.
Such a darling style designed for Saturday afternoon frolics.
Rodarte is revered for its feminine shapes and whimsical motifs, and this column gown does both exceptionally well.
