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Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: the beach dress is this summer’s must-have

This chic yet practical addition to your holiday wardrobe will accentuate your swimwear rather than conceal it

The beach dress – specifically designed to turn your swimsuit into an outfit you can wear to lunch – is a wardrobe category that didn’t really exist until about a decade ago. Your swimwear serves both as a kind of petticoat, concealing your modesty, and as an accessory, bringing the drama But the hero piece of this season is the main-character-energy beach dress. It will be in an openwork crochet or loose-weave knit, so your bikini or one-piece is visible in the gaps; or it will be in a sheer lace or tissue-thin cheesecloth, so that what you are wearing beneath shows through.

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