Some trips earn a new dress. Not the sundress you’ve worn three spring vacations in a row, but a luxury dress chosen for this destination, this light, this particular version of a warm evening. We built the Spring Escape Edit for that trip. The colors were selected for how they read against blue water. The silhouettes were cut for open air and sea wind. And in each piece, a diamond starfish brooch marks the collection’s quiet signature: designed for where it belongs.
What Should You Wear for Spring Break in 2026?
The best luxury spring break dresses earn their place in a suitcase. For warm destinations, Tulum, Cabo, St. Barts, and beyond, that means a silhouette that flatters without effort, a fabric that moves in open air, and a design that holds up to the light it will be photographed in. What distinguishes a memorable vacation dress from a forgettable one is rarely the color. It is the construction underneath. How the waist is defined. How the skirt moves. Whether the fabric was chosen for this environment or simply adapted to it. Every piece in Nana Jacqueline’s Spring Escape Edit was designed for a specific kind of trip, the warm-weather getaway where what you wear becomes part of how you remember it.
Five Dresses for a Trip Worth Dressing For
01 — Caroline Dress in Blue — Beach Dinner Resort Dress
The Caroline arrives before you do. A fitted mermaid maxi dress in powdery sky blue, it has the presence of something tailored and the details that make it unmistakably NJ: ruffle straps that trail from shoulder to floor, a sweetheart-draped bodice, a hem that earns its length. In blue, it reads luminous against a tan and photographs cleanly against white walls, terracotta, and open water, the colors of the destinations it was made for.
This is not a romantic, windswept dress. The Caroline holds its shape. It is the dinner reservation, the resort entrance, the evening where polished matters more than dreamy. Customers are consistent: ‘everyone asks me where I got this dress.’ ‘Gorgeous frock, got a lot of compliments on it.’
What to Know:
Shop the Caroline Dress in Blue →
02 — Arabella Floral Chiffon Mini Dress for Tropical Daytime
The Arabella is the daylight dress. A halter-neck mini in watercolor floral chiffon, soft peach blooms on cream, it carries the collection’s DNA in a lighter register: same starfish brooch, same ruched bust, but a mini length and printed fabric suited to an afternoon Aperol spritz rather than a dinner reservation. The double-layered slitted hem moves in any breeze and photographs beautifully in natural light.
It is also the easiest entry into NJ. It fits true to size, no guesswork, and customers describe it as ‘so soft and flowy on my body’ and ‘the dress of my dreams.’ For anyone ordering from NJ for the first time, the Arabella is where to start.
What to Know:
Shop the Arabella in Floral →
03 — Mariah Purple Chiffon Maxi Dress for Sunset Beach Evenings
Customers return for the Mariah in a second color. That tells you more than any review. The skirt is four independent tiers of chiffon, each moving gently in the wind. The empire cut defines the waist before the fabric flows free. The diamond starfish brooch at center bust catches light from every angle. In purple, the color deepens in warm light rather than washing out, which is exactly what makes beach-at-sunset photographs in this colorway look the way they do.
‘The most gorgeous and flattering dress I have ever owned.’ ‘Greek goddess vibe.’ ‘This is my second color.’ The Mariah earns that language because the design earns it.
What to Know:
Shop the Mariah in Purple →
04 — Kensington Pink Strapless Tulle Mini Dress for Milestone Birthdays
Triple-layered nude pink tulle. Strapless. Hand-placed gradient floral appliqués across the skirt. Fishbone boning under the chest, double-layer anti-slip tape, built-in breast pads. The Kensington stays exactly where it should and looks like it isn’t trying.
Nara Smith has been photographed in the longer version of this silhouette. This is not a daytime dress. It is the birthday abroad, the bachelorette dinner, the one evening of the trip that deserves its own dress entirely. Customers have three words between them: ‘OMG this is perfect.’ ‘This is a DRESS.’
What to Know:
Shop the Kensington in Pink →
05 — Mariah White Chiffon Maxi Dress for Tropical Weddings
The Mariah in White is the white dress for vacation that actually earns the trip. The construction is identical to the purple. The effect is not. At golden hour on a warm shore, white chiffon reads luminous in a way photographs only partially prepare you for. Warm, not stark. Ethereal without trying.
This is the bachelorette dress, the honeymoon evening, the milestone birthday that deserves white without looking like a wedding. ‘My favorite dress I’ve ever worn, true to size and so comfortable.’ ‘Flawless fit. True to the Greek goddess feeling I was hoping for.’ The starfish brooch is removable for cleaner bridal styling.
What to Know:
Shop the Mariah in White →
Three Questions Worth Answering
Is a dress at this price point worth it for a vacation?
NJ dresses are built with fishbone boning, four-tier chiffon, hand-sewn appliqués, and cuts designed to flatter across body types. These are not details that happen by accident. They are the reason the dress looks the way it does when it arrives, the reason it holds its shape through an evening, and the reason customers come back for a second color. The price is the cost of a dress that becomes part of how you remember the trip.
Can I wear white to a tropical destination?
Yes. The Mariah in White is built for it. White chiffon at golden hour reads luminous, warm rather than stark, particularly in a four-tier construction that creates depth rather than a flat single layer. It works for bachelorette trips, honeymoons, and milestone birthdays where wearing white is a choice rather than a default. The starfish brooch is removable for cleaner bridal styling. Sizing is the same as all Mariah colorways: runs small, size up.
What colors photograph best in tropical destinations?
Deep, saturated tones hold in direct warm light. Purple, cobalt, sky blue, warm botanical florals deepen rather than wash out at noon and golden hour both. Crisp white reads luminous at dusk. Pastels soften more than expected in bright tropical sun. The one color that consistently underperforms: neon. It overexposes and reads flat in natural light regardless of how it looks indoors.
The Spring Escape Edit
Every piece above is part of Nana Jacqueline’s Spring Escape Edit, designed for warm destinations and the occasions that deserve to be dressed for properly. Planning a bachelorette, bridal shower, or honeymoon? The For the Bride and Wedding Guest collections were made for those trips too.
Explore the full collection →
How to Travel With These Dresses
Chiffon folds loosely inside a dry cleaning bag. It prevents friction wrinkles and takes up almost no space. Hang immediately on arrival; most travel creases release overnight without a steamer. For the Kensington’s tulle, gather loosely rather than compressing flat and pack in a separate garment bag. A travel steamer handles anything that remains. These are dry-clean pieces. Treat the fabric that way and they will last well beyond the trip.
