Trend Report: Maxi Dresses

It’s officially the first day of summer, but for those of us who are spending our summer days here in Orlando, this day means nothing new for us. We spend our days sitting in the same lounge chairs we scouted out back in February, the ones that we spent hours manipulating until we found the perfect location to achieve maximum penetration from the sun. We’ve been wearing shorts and sandals and Essie’s summer collection for months now (turquoise and caicos anyone?) We can even count on three fingers how many times we visited Jeremiah’s that first week back from winter break. Blazing hot temperatures don’t come and go in Florida like they do in Northern states. In fact, you’re more likely to find us tweeting and updating our facebook status over a drop in temperatures than a rise in one. Once September begins we head to the nearest Bloomingdales and buy every sweater in stock, hoping that some higher power will sense our total desperation to wear something other than tank tops and denim cutoffs all day. We didn’t spend our entire life’s savings on those Tory Burch boots for them to sit in our closet, did we? But nonetheless, we chose to live here, and more than that, we chose to go to school here, so we have to make due with the cards Mother Nature has dealt us. So stop daydreaming about knit sweaters and printed scarves and keep reading to find out to have all eyes on you this summer. 

Every girl’s summer wardrobe requires a few necessities, one of which is a maxi dress. Maxi dresses are easy to throw on, easy to accessorize, and can be dressed up or dress down to fit nearly any occasion. You can even wear a cotton maxi dress as a bathing suit coverup. I like to pair mine with a wedge sandal out to dinner when I’m on vacation with my family, or with a flat sandal when I’m headed to the mall with friends to check out the Victoria’s Secret semi annual sale. You can wear a plain maxi dress with a bold necklace or a printed maxi with bangles and your trusty Michael Kors watch. Maxi dresses also come in a myriad of different styles, cuts, and fabrics. 

5 rules about Maxi Dresses:


1. If you’re on the short side, shell out a few extra dollars to have your dress hemmed. A maxi that drags on the floor can give off the appearance that you’re shorter than you really are. Also, this should go without saying, but if you are going to have your dress altered make sure you also take the shoes you’ll wear most often with the dress, so that the dress can be hemmed to the correct length. 

2. Don’t over accessorize! If you are wearing a maxi with a loud print, keep it simple...the focus should be on the dress, not on your earrings, your necklace, your bracelet, your fuchsia sandals, and your crossbody bag.

3. You can dress up a maxi dress with wedge sandals or pumps

4. You can dress down a Maxi dress with flip flops and a floppy hat, like Vanessa Hudgens did here:

5. Choose a Maxi Dress that will complement your body type. For example, an empire waist will provide an overall slimming effect

This maxi is great for Summer 2012 because it caters to the current neon trend. Add subtle accessories to tone down its bright hue. You can also nix the jewelry and add a pair of havianas and a string bikini to make this look beach appropriate. A leather jacket and pumps takes this maxi dress from day to night.

Sara Kwiatkowski