One of my favorite purchases from 2011 was this gorgeous maxi dress that I got at Ross for only about $14. I really love the maxi trend for the modest lengths that the dresses offer. They can be really immodest up top but with a little layering that problem is easily solved for all seasons. Below are 6 different ways I have styled this dress since late last summer. I think I have definitely got my money's worth out of it!
ONE: For summer, I wore a cropped cardigan for sleeves and coverage, while still remaining cool. Open toed shoes were a must. Wearing a heel can add height if the dress is a little too long for you. You might not want it dragging on the ground! I layered a few gold necklaces to fancy it up!
TWO: In very early fall I can't wait to get out the fall wardrobe. I love the colors in the dress for that very reason! I added a little bid more sleeve and length to the cardigan to look a little more "fall-ish" but still was kept cool by the lightweight fabric and open toed shoes. This time I went with a necklace that matched the dress. I thought it worked especially nice because of the neutral cardigan.
THREE: Fully into fall, I wore a mustard cardigan to pull out the beautiful yellow tones in the dress. Nothing since fall or warmth like a cozy scarf. I swapped out the shoes for boots. These boots have a heel to make it a little dressier. I buttoned one button of the sweater to define my waist a little bit since I didn't wear a belt.
FOUR: This was the cozy, comfy, casual styling of the dress. I buttoned the cardigan up all the way so it now looks like a skirt rather than a dress. Layering the necklaces added visual interest while the flat boots kept it comfy. (I wore this on Thanksgiving.)
FIVE: I don't think the colors photographed as well as they looked IRL. I really loved wearing this with the orange sweater, and pulling out all those gorgeous tones (orange is one of my favorite colors).I wore a belt for waist definition again, and a different gold necklace than I had worn before.
SIX: I have also styled this dress for winter (even though there hasn't been much snow, January is still winter!). Layering the dress with a thick sweater makes it appropriate for the cold. I love how all the colors in the dress make it easy to mix black and brown.I wore this dress today actually, too. I wore the blue sweater again with the belt from looks 5 and 6. I didn't get a photo since husband Spencer was working late.
There are so many ways to style maxi dresses! Off the top of my head I can think of so many other tops in my closet I could remix with this dress: brown jacket, short sleeved brown jacket, purple blazer, brown blazer, brown long sleeved cropped cardigan, black cardigan,. What about a maroon "leather" jacket? Or I wonder how gray would look? I have a lot of gray layering pieces.
Do you like maxi dresses? What is your favorite way to style them?
Thanks for reading!
