Summary

“The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” by Irwin Shaw starts with Michael and Frances, who are walking happily in New York one Sunday morning in February. As they walk down the street, Frances notices that Michael turned to look at a beautiful girl and jokes about it. Michael also overlooks the incident and discovers that his wife knows when he is looking at other women.

During their walk, Frances and Michael decide to avoid the Stevensons, a couple with whom they were supposed to spend the afternoon in the country. Frances expresses her desire to spend more time with Michael and plans an entire day for the two of them in New York. However, her train of thought is interrupted when she notices Michael intently looking at another beautiful woman.

Frances becomes frustrated, but Michael explains that ...