Maxi Madness

This summer the maxi has been made available to the masses, but with that comes a certain responsibility on our part.  The long dress is a delicate area; you are constantly fighting a fine line between looking like you are going to prom and wearing a moo moo.  Here are are a few tips in picking dresses that will look best for you and how to work them:

1. Too much fabric= too much.  People think that the more fabric the more they are hiding but really the more fabric the heavier you look.  Stick to a straight column shape, which is the most flattering

2. Too much print is too much.  I love print believe you me, but make sure the print is on a smaller scale other wise it will swallow you up.

3.  Skip the ruffle at the bottom.  It makes you look shorter and lets call a spade a spade here: this isn't little house on the prairie after all.

4: Little details go a long way.  Mix up the maxi with some twists and turns; a lot of styles have great tie backs, flutter sleeves or even an open back.  It's the little things that make yours look different than everyone else's.

5. Fabrication is key.  It might be tempting to go to forever and pick up a maxi because of the price but then all you have is about three yards of polyester wrapped around you and youre not doing yourself a favor.  Stick to cotton or silk and lay off the shiny stuff... it looks cheap.

6.  Don't over accessorize.  I'm simple to being with when it comes to accessories but long dresses are statement making enough.  Pair it with some cool flats and a simple bangle and be done with it.

7. Horizontal stripes beware!  This is tricky; some horizontal stripes can make you look wider, but in some cases (significant spacing and fine lines) can work, you are just going to have to try it.  Also, this isn't a general rule, but a lot of companies have those giant peace signs on the sides of their dresses... that's not a good look for anyone, pretty face but WIDE hips in that.

8. Be careful when wearing white maxis, this isn't your wedding.

Here is an example of a great way to create a day maxi look:

Here are some day ones I love:

For nighttime you can go a little overboard

And here are some great styles for night: