Most summer dresses look good on a hanger and fall apart after six washes. That is the real problem with this category and it is why we have been so specific about what makes the cut here. A cotton t shirt dress sounds like the simplest thing in the world. It is also one of the hardest to get right. The fabric needs genuine weight, not that thin jersey that clings in the wrong places and goes transparent in sunlight. The cut needs to move properly. And it needs to survive real wear, real heat, real laundry cycles without losing its shape or its color.

What we have pulled together here are the cotton t shirt dresses that actually deliver on all three. Some are relaxed and oversized. Some are more fitted. All of them breathe the way cotton should and hold up the way quality does. These are the ones worth owning, not just wearing once and quietly retiring.