The Great Debate: Maxi Dresses II

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Now that I am finally back from my long vacation, I'm ready to get to work in full swing with trend reports. I know by this time blogs are already talking about fall fashion, but I wanted to be a little unconventional and catch up on a couple more summer fashions that I missed since I had no access to a computer while I was away.

About a month ago I had brought up the topic of the MAXI DRESS. That first post focused on how women wore the wrong type of maxi.  The fact that it is a long dress, it important to be-careful of certain hemlines and patterns, because it can make the dress look too obnoxious or give a weird shape to even the most perfect body types. 

This post is dedicated to maxi dresses done right. And even though I was a non-believer, that no matter what I tried, a maxi dress was never going to look right on me - finally, I found one. The only one that I think fit me great, and looked very simple and pretty. 

Warning: It's going to be a lengthy post, so please bear with me people.

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The Hits. (Click on any of the images to make them larger)

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1. Kiera Knightly and Nicole Richie both have very thin and straight body types, and both of their maxi dresses fit tightly enough around their shape, which makes these dresses look even better on them.

Jessica Alba (the middle pic) has a little more meat and is curvier so her maxi dress works perfectly in a number of ways. The solid color goes great with her complexion and it doesn't over accentuate her curves in an obnoxious way. The hem line under the bust also makes her waist appear smaller, and the halter top gives her the right support while also creating a great bust shape. The simplicity of the dress is really what makes it look gorgeous.

2. Hilary Duff's maxi works because of the top v-neck halter that accentuates her bust line. The v shape that continues to the waist line is also appealing to the eye and makes the waist look slightly tinier as well. The hemline around the bottom portion of the dress that widens takes the attention away from the hips. This kind of dress would be beneficial for those who are bottom heavy and don't like dresses that are too tight around the hip area. Also, the pattern and that specific color blue are subtle and simple enough, and the colorblock pieces of turquoise gives it a little extra pop of character, while breaking up the redundancy of the pattern. 

3. Miley Cyrus' maxi is a little more high-end with chiffon/nylon fabrics, which may not be worn in an everyday setting but I wanted to use it as an example of how color, pattern, length, and top support is done perfectly. An off-white with any color is beautiful, and the red flower pattern is not overdone to an extreme. The length of the dress could be a tad shorter but it is not too long, so she doesn't look like she is 'swimming' in her maxi, unlike other pictures we have seen in the [maxi misses post]. The rounded collar, the long slit in the middle of the bust and the tight fit waist gives her a nice top shape and makes her torso appear longer and thinner. Amazingly done. 

4. Kim Kardashian - (otherwise referred to as my STYLE ICON) has yet again blown me away with her taste in style. However, if you remember my girl also made the 'misses' list!!! I did that on purpose to show that not every dress is created equal. While one maxi may look good on some, may look terrible on others. It's really important to pay attention to the details in order to find that right fit. With me, I found what works and what doesn't with research, trial and error. Not only did Kim pull off this maxi dress - this is my favorite maxi dress look EVER! I wish i had come across a dress like this I would have bought it in a heartbeat. It's quite common knowledge that Kim is not known for being the skinniest celebrity in Hollywood. That's why I love that she wore this maxi dress. It shows that even curvy girls can look great in one. Kim's dress does fit tight enough around her curves to accentuate but not exaggerate. Cream and white are also light natural summer colors that appeal to the eye. The denim jacket also works great here because it's a timeless piece of clothing, solid color, that breaks up the pattern on the dress, yet simultaneously working as an accessory piece to give something extra to the final look. 

5. (TOP PICTURE) Vanessa Hudgens wore the most simple and comfortable maxi dress look out there, and ooo yes - girl did it too perfect! An all cotton charcoal grey dress. No accentuating hemlines, no patterns, just a pure, unadulterated maxi at its finest. It flows on her body where it is not too tight nor too loose. The length is perfect because it is not too short either. The accessories take the cake here, which polish up the final product. The low rise belt resting on the hips show off her curves, while also hiding her hips from popping out (if that is a main concern for some) Along with the long necklace, oversized sunglasses and tote just make it so boho and comfortable. Well done. This is my second favorite maxi look!

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Real life maxi scenarios. 

My beautiful cousin Angela - working her maxi right! I'm so proud! The colors and pattern are summery and mesh well together. The Indian print is totally in this year so it looks great. Angela also wisely used her timeless denim jacket to give her dress that extra flare - just like Kim K! The length is also not too short, yet short enough to show off sexy summer sandals. That's always important too! Absolutely loved this whole look! 

Courtesy of Bebe

This was my maxi dress of the summer. There are tightening hemlines throughout the top to the bottom of the dress, but as the dress goes down the fabric becomes wider so it is not too tight around my hips. (Which, is something i try to avoid because I am rather bottom heavy in proportion with my body shape) The length of this dress does hit the floor and my shoes only show when I am walking but I prefer longer lengths than shorter. However, it is not too long where I am tripping on the bottom. The top ruffles are my favorite part of the whole dress. The bow in the middle can also be used to tie around my neck as a halter look which makes my neck look longer and thinner. The peachy/coral with white is also another reason i was drawn toward this dress. And the pattern didn't bother me either. All in all I was truly satisfied with my maxi. 

Courtesy of Mudd clothing co. - @Kohls ($39.99)

What are your thoughts? Was I a HIT -or- MISS?

Great Debate: THE MAXI DRESS

Even though it is almost 5 in the AM, I am sitting behind my pink laptop furiously searching through tons of pictures to post for this article. I feel like I needed to address the rise of the 'maxi dress trend.' This dress style starting slowly creeping onto retail shelves about 2 summers ago. (~2009) At first they were just really plain and made me think, "Oh, hey that's cute and extremely comfortable, let me try that bad larry on." But lo and behold it just looked absolutely terrible on me. Over the next two summers the maxi dress gets fancy. And now it seems everyone is wearing them these days. You can't go into a store without seeing a whole mess of them on an entire rack. And every summer they come back, I keep wanting to give the maxi another chance, but continue to be disappointed with how UNFLATTERING they usually make me look.
Happy to say that today that all changed! I think I found one maxi out of a slew of atrocities, that really looks quite nice. So, it made me re-evaluate the maxi dress altogether.

What makes a maxi dress look nice or not? What body types are able to wear a maxi dress and actually look good? Why was the cotton maxi dress designed in the first place?
......I wish I could answer all these questions with confidence, unfortunately after my research I have come to the conclusion that NO ONE IS SAFE.

It doesn't matter if you are the most fashionable celebrity (achem...Kim&Kourt Kardashian) It doesn't matter if you are a 6 foot tall skinny model with no curves, and it doesn't even matter if you are a little heavier and curvier......the maxi dress can potentially make anyone look horrendous.

All I know it definitely has to do with hem lines and the way it falls, patterns, and color schemes - that all play a crucial role on making the maxi dress either a HIT OR MISS.

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The things I look for in a great maxi is either a solid color or a subtle print. Not too much should be going on because then it looks too gaudy and not so easy on the eyes. Also, any maxi with some ruffles at the top or is a halter that gathers under the breast line to create dimension is very flattering. Tube top maxi dresses tend to look bland. That type most likely will not flatter any kind of body shape, and could look just like a draping of fabric wrapped around you.

First i'll be posting A LOT of different pics of celebs, and non-celebs wearing maxi dresses that I would say are in the 'miss category.' Then, I'll post the pics of celebs and non celebs that I think worked it well and why they did so.

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THE MISSES... (Click any image to make it larger)

1. Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Garner have no breast support their maxis hang on them like quilts.

2. Model has a perfect shape and nice control on top with the halter tie but those colors are what really ruin the whole look. And the hem towards the bottom doesn't seem to go It seems it was put there as an afterthought for extra character, which was a mistake.

3. & 4. Beautiful, tall and skinny victoria's secret models can't even make these maxi dresses look presentable. So that's a good hint for shoppers ---> If victoria's secret models can't pull it off, chances are you can't either. :-/ It's a harsh reality but someone has to break it down. The kelly green tube top does nothing for her shape. There are not even hemlines around the breast to give the dress a little definition. And 4 maybe could have worked if it wasn't for that plaid pattern. Anything red plaid makes me think 'back to school' or 'tablecloth.' And these are both two things I wouldn't want to be thinking about when putting on my maxi dress for summer fun.

5. Model is shorter and very thin. Although the color block scheme is in this year, and the cool blues are appealing to the eye, the fact that is gets wider and wider towards the bottom is what makes this maxi a miss. Also, halter top maxi's are designed for more top heavy women so a very thin body type that wouldn't fill out the halter part also would make the dress look awkward.

6. Kimmy kimmy kim kardashian. I don't know how that happened but she is my style goddess and even she made a bad maxi decision. Yellow and blue loud print, and there is just so much fabric that doesn't end, i would be afraid that I would trip over it and make a spectacle of myself.

7. What is there to say. Maxi dresses are mostly modeled by girls with this body type. Honestly, it makes the miss list because it is too short and the light blue subtle strip pattern reminds me of long john pajamas.
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WOW, this update was obnoxiously long, and the debate is still not over!
I'm going to continue with another post, but this time I will be showing how women PULLED OFF the maxi dress and made it look fabulous! Plus, I'll post a picture of me in my new maxi and then you can tell me If I made a hit or miss myself! Lots of fun stuff to look foward too!

Until next time....to be continued.