Rules About Wearing Different Length Dresses
Achieving a certain image is likely what comes to mind when you think about style, but fashion is also about feeling as good as you look. It's easier to attain this confidence when you understand the rules surrounding certain pieces in your wardrobe. Knowing the rules allows you to follow them with self-assurance, and even lets you break them when you feel a little daring. The most basic precepts for dresses focus primarily on their different lengths. A little basic information about minis, midis and maxis can help you wear dresses with ease.
Wearing a maxi dress is all about avoiding a frumpy look. Maxis can be Bohemian chic or formal depending upon the style and accessories, but the wrong combinations can make you look like you wrapped yourself in bed sheets. If you’re petite, choose a more form-fitting maxi rather than a baggy one that can easily overwhelm you. Consider a deep V-neck to add length to your appearance. V-necks are also a good choice for plus-sized figures as are wide shoulder straps. Opt for large prints if you are tall and curvaceous and medium-sized prints if you have lots of curves but not much height. Pearls, crystal and gold jewelry dress up a maxi, while beaded accessories lean casual. However you wear it, the key is to make sure the dress complements your figure rather than envelop it.
By definition, true midi-dresses should stop at the middle of your calf. Different designers, however, make dresses of different lengths and call them all midi-dresses. And one woman’s midi might be a petite woman’s maxi or stop just below the knees of a taller woman. Always try on midi-dresses before you buy them and make sure that the length looks good on you rather than focusing on what the length is supposed to be. Tall women can usually rock a midi without issues. Petite women do best with a hemline that falls just below the knee and should choose solid colors or prints that are not overwhelmingly busy or large. Whatever your height, always choose heels rather than flats with a midi-dress to elongate your lower legs.
Avoiding over-exposure is the key to wearing a mini-dress. That fine line between looking sexy rather than lewd is easy to cross if you don’t follow the golden rule of the mini: Choose a dress that is short or tight, but never both. Leave a little extra room in the skirt and the top portion of the dress whenever your hemline is high, and be sure to cover your top half thoroughly. You don’t have to cover the top of your body completely, but remember that the point of a mini-dress is to flaunt your legs. Plunging necklines, open backs and other barely-there elements on the top of the dress pull attention away from the very feature a mini-dress is meant to highlight.
