Bubble Dresses Are So Back This Summer—Here’s How to Style the Trend

27/06/2024

Listen, we never thought we’d say it either, but hear us out: Bubble dresses and skirts aren’t just back in the conversation—they’re everywhere. We spotted the dress trend on the summer runways at Tory Burch, Staud, Miu Miu, Bally, and Altuzarra, to name just a few labels. In recent weeks, Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, and Sabrina Carpenter have also cosigned the look. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, it’s officially time to give balloon hemlines a go.

Last seen en masse at the tail end of the Aughts, bubble skirts once signaled preppy, moneyed glamour. (It’s no surprise, then, that Princess Diana was spotted in a puffball dress in the ’80s, the first heyday of the voluminous silhouette.) While the look still carries those connotations—prep is having a major fashion moment in 2024, after all—it’s shifting into something more feminine and refined.

Staud S/S 2024

Princess Diana

Tory Burch S/S 2024

Bally S/S 2024

Thanks to the rise of balletcore last year, fashion is still obsessing over danceresque motifs; bows, ballet flats, sheer layers, and drop-waist silhouettes reign supreme this year. Bubble dresses and skirts bridge the gap between that trend and the prep revival, making balloon hemlines feel lighter and chicer than ever before. (No offense to your prom dress.)

Styling bubble dresses takes very little effort, making this perhaps the easiest dress trend of the year. Midis and maxis call for your best sunglasses, some puffy metal earrings, and strappy heels or mesh flats. Mini balloon dresses, meanwhile, leave plenty of real estate open for statement jewelry, cowboy boots, or designer bags. If you go with a bubble skirt, try a tube top, T-shirt, or tank top. And the cloudlike silhouette is great for dressed-up events like summer weddings and birthdays; throw on a pair of slingback heels and sweep your hair into an updo before you head out.

Jump into summer’s most romantic trend with our edit of the very best bubble dresses and skirts below.

1. Best short bubble dresses

Back in the day, bubble skirts were about as short as possible; this crop of fresh options is exactly the same. We’ve noticed two distinct trends here: One camp features a fitted bodice with a puffy skirt, while the other consists of one chicly shapeless bubble. Both radiate main character energy, especially with a matching pair of shoes.

Reformation Clea Dress

$218.00, Reformation

Abercrombie & Fitch Bubble Hem Minidress

$80.00, Abercrombie

All in Favor Bubble Hem Minidress

$65.00, Nordstrom

ASOS Design Puffball Minidress

$38.00, ASOS

Mac Duggal Bow Bubble Minidress

$298.00, Anthropologie

Reformation Babette Dress

$218.00, Reformation

J.Crew Collection Mini Bubble Dress

$298.00, J.Crew

Interior Augie Strapless Minidress

$3480.00, Nordstrom

2. Best long bubble dresses

If you’re not one to show quite so much skin (we get it), the same technique looks great on longer dresses, too. Billowy skirts make these relatively simple dresses stand out in a sea of plainer options; we’d love to see any of these at a nice dinner, a wedding reception, or a backyard get-together. (Rosalía wore that exact white Paloma Wool gown, by the way.) Layer your pick with a blazer or cardigan to get plenty of wear into the colder months.

Free-est Liza Drop-Waist Midi-Dress

$78.00, Free People

ASTR the Label Strapless Bubble Hem Dress

$98.00, Nordstrom

Elexiay Kebbi Dress

$350.00, Free People

Free People Carmen Tee Midi-Dress

$98.00, Free People

Cinq à Sept Amelie Dress

$465.00, Revolve

Paloma Wool Globo Maxidress

$433.00, Nordstrom

Hutch Sleeveless Cutout Midi Dress

$258.00, Anthropologie

Free People Calla Lilly Dress

$148.00, Free People

3. Best bubble skirts

Bubble skirts are also very much part of the big balloon comeback, and they’re just as easy to dress up as they are to style down. Pair one with an eyelet blouse or asymmetrical top at work; for more casual occasions, they look great with baby tees and skinny sunglasses (the sunglass trend we're seeing right now). You really can’t go wrong, especially if you join in on the white maxiskirt trend currently taking over our feeds.

Free People Bubble Bliss Skirt

$88.00, Free People

Sunday Best Bubbly Poplin Skirt

$98.00, Aritzia

Cinq à Sept Pyper Skirt

$325.00, Nordstrom

Zara Balloon Midi-Skirt

$46.00, Zara

J.Crew Collection Bubble Miniskirt

$118.00, J.Crew

H&M Bubble-Hem Miniskirt

$30.00, H&M

Peppermayo Hotel California Low-Rise Miniskirt

$68.00, Peppermayo

Winioder Bubble Skirt

$16.00, Amazon