Maxi Dresses!

So every summer I seem to have a go to outfit and OH MY GAWD this summer it's maxi dresses. I am obsessed. Maxi dresses are flattering on every body type and even though I have shed my summer pounds, I love the dresses because I wore them last summer when I HADN'T shed my summer pounds. The point is, they are cute and flattering at any  weight but make sure the top is fitted. You do not want to look like a balloon or a tent. Stay away from tent dresses that flare out. Fitted top + loose bottom = great maxi dress.

They are so easy to wear - you can dress them up or down. I love wearing them on dates because I like to feel pretty and girly and you can bring along a cardigan or jean jacket to pop over them if you get chilly! My favorite part of my body is not my legs and I am perpetually white so I like having long maxi dresses. I think long ones are the cutest anyway. Here are a couple home shots of me - ironically right before dates! I got the blue one at Express and the gray one from the ARC but the Target tags were still attached.

My tips are maxi dresses:

1) Don't buy expensive ones. It's not worth it. Maxi dresses are generally made out of the same material with expensive ones and less expensive ones and they aren't like an amazing pair of pants where there is tailoring you pay for. There is no reason to spend a lot on a maxi dress. Target has some super cute ones. In fact, Target is my favorite place to buy maxi dresses. They are $30 and under. My favorite maxi dress I got on sale at Express and I wore it to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and got it caught in the escalator. Good thing I didn't pay $300 dollars for it.

2) Wear them different ways! Try a jacket over top or add some bulk with a fun scarf. You can wear a maxi dress a ton of different ways by accessorizing it.

3) If you wear open toed shoes with a maxi dress, make sure your toes look good. This is important every single day. If you toes are not done, don't even consider wearing open toes shoes. Seriously. It's important and I can't stress enough how people notice.

4) Don't go overboard with the hippie thing when wearing a maxi dress. Keep it classy. If my dress is kind of hippie, I don't do hipping hair and jewelry. Keep a rule of threes. Don't do threes. If you have hippie style dress and hair, don't have hippie jewelry. This is just my opinion but keeping two out of three like two browns and a black or two blacks and a brown - this plan works great for me.

5) Make sure the top fits. Some maxi dresses are too loose around the top. If you find a super cute one but needs some more support around the bust line, it's really inexpensive for a tailor to do it.

6) Maxi dresses can be kind of shapeless so try adding a belt. It's super cute.

Here are some maxi dresses I like:

XO, 

Rachel