Andrea's It-List: 6 dresses that are actually worth you hard-earned money

The below is from editor-in-chief Andrea Thompson's weekly newsletter, Andrea's It-List. Subscribe here.

It’s the end of the month, so I thought why not round up some of my personal payday picks in this week’s newsletter. July has been a busy month of weddings, summer soirees and work events, but I’m now in full planning mode for my holiday in Europe. When I’m travelling, I want a one and done outfit I can roll up neatly for transit, which requires minimal styling that I can effortlessly transition from day to evening. You can’t beat a summer dress. See below for my current packing list favourites- and shop the payday picks of the Marie Claire fashion team, here.

SHOP MY TOP PICKS

Antler Cabin Suitcase

I can’t resist a zebra print, and I know this timeless Alexandra Miro halter-neck dress is a keeper. I’ll wear it summer after summer.

Embroidered Square Neck Dress

I love the neckline of this cute sleeveless green dress which sports a neat bodice and fluttery feminine sleeves. It's super comfortable, the perfect length to take you day to evening and is brilliant value.

Alora Dress

There's a reason why this Reformation dress is so popular. It's lightweight, stylish and so easy to wear. This is my go-to dress on vacation. Style with gladiator sandals by day or wedges / heels for an instantly more formal look for dinner.

Mixed Media Square Neck Maxi Dress

Square-neck dresses are summer's sartorial hero. I've got my eye on this Me + Em one, which will be perfect for throwing on for dinner paired with heeled sandals.

Voluminous V-Neck Maxi Dress

You won't regret investing in a classic linen maxi dress like this one from Cos with its versatile A-line shape and voluminous silhouette. I'll be packing this for my next holiday but its perfect office heatwave attire too.

Tahlia Dress

I have a bit of a thing for white cotton midi dresses, and recently discovered this one from Revolve, which I've worn on repeat at weekends this summer. I can't wait to wear it on holiday. It was made for long Mediterranean lunches drinking rose in the sun.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

A key topic of conversation on Marie Claire recently has been how to choose the perfect laptop bag. So naturally our fashion team set out to investigate, scouring the internet to find the very best ones for our perfect edit. 'Sadly, chic laptop bags are surprisingly hard to come by, so if you're in the market for a stylish work bag, it's worth not limiting your search just to laptop-specific styles.' says our shopping editor Valeza Bakolli. The full guide features a whole host of traditional bags, from elevated totes to oversized shoulder bags including my favourites - this pebble colored Aspinal number which is currently on sale and this Polene one.

A montage of images of Andrea Thompson, Marie Claire's Editor in Chief and the words 'Andrea's It-List' to advertise her new column

Andrea Thompson is Editor in Chief at Marie Claire UK and was named by We are the City as one of the UKs top 50 trailblazers for her work championing gender equality. She sits on the committee of the British Society of Magazine Editors where she acts as Chair.

Andrea has worked as a senior journalist for a range of publications over her 20 year career including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Channel 4, Glamour and Grazia. At Marie Claire UK, Andrea oversees content, strategy, events and campaigns across fashion, beauty and the brand's purpose pillars. Follow her on instagram at @andreacanwrite