Long Dresses S/S 07

[Lena]

i find them very 'fresh', but they are quite hard to find.. want more

 

[Whitelinen]

I agree, Lena, fresh is a good word. I think this is a good trend - and it definetily is in -, but I wonder if it for one kind of body types only. I am hourglass-shaped, do you think people like me can carry this off without looking like potato sacks? That I think is the hardest part in this, how to manage to look polished and maintained while still wearing such a relaxed garment.

 

[jennifer~]

I love long dresses, but the current trend-within-a-trend seems to involve boho/festival dresses in hippie fabrics like calico, etc., which I don't like too well. (Not thta I've made my way across the pond recently, but doesn't Primark have a zillion of these?)

 

[PerfectPerfect]

My problem was I was worried about looking like I was going to the Oscar's. But the idea, to me, of wearing a long dress is very ethereal and bohemian. Mango has some very nice long dresses if you want to try them on and see how it really looks on you. Because there is so much fabric, and Im nowhere near model size, I cinched right under my bust to create the silhoutte thats lost under the proportions of the dress. I also think it could be location specific too. You might not want to wear it to the grocery store, unless you dont mind looking glamorous pushing a cart. I downplayed the dramatic effect of the length by wearing sandals (no flip flops ever). It tones the fanciness with a casual couthe.

 

[ewening]

^i think that sandals work very well with long dresses. it adds a little grecian feel to it.

in general i really love long dresses and long skirts! but the material has to be soft and flowing, NOT stiff and hard.

 

[thefunkykitten]

maxi dresses are IN! i see them everywhere - gonna be huge this summer!

 

[masquerade]

I love the idea, but I lack the confidence to wear them at my height.

they look fantastic on tall people

 

[thefunkykitten]

funny blog on catwalk queen...

Laura: It's always a bit of a gamble when getting dressed in the UK as the weather is incredibly unpredictable. Usually I stick to the rule of 'if I wear boots it will be sunny, if I wear flip flops it will definitely rain'. Despite this, I decided to be adventurous on Tuesday morning and wore my maxi dress over a plain white tee with my trusty Havaianas flip-flops.
I bought my dress last year from ASOS (it's in the style of Paris Hilton, apparently) but unfortunately never really got an opportunity to wear it. I think I associated maxi dresses with major dressing up events and was slightly afraid to wear it casually. But in the name of research, I gave it a go.
Whilst travelling to Shiny Towers a noticed a few people looking at my dress (its pretty hard to miss). It was hard to judge whether they were looking at me thinking, "she'd better be going to a wedding in that dress," or, "ooh a maxi dress, what a great idea." I also encountered a few problems on the long tube escalators where I was convinced it would get caught (could be very embarrassing).
It was very comfortable, although mine was more fitted and less flowing than other maxi dresses which are available. The length is also an issue as surely there need to varying lengths of the maxi dress? I got lucky with mine but other friends have complained about all of them being too long for her.

Gemma: After speaking the other day about 'taming' the over-voluminous empire maxi dress by adding a waiscoat, I decided it was only fair I gave the look a little street test of my own. I even went for the exact same £14 Primark dress. I topped it with a past-season waistcoat from George at Asda. it's not the perfect match but good enough for a trial!
The dress - and this probably won't surprise you - was obviously not made with 'normal' women in mind. it's generously cut where you don't need it, but skimpy on the bust. I'm wearing a size 12 in the picture and still found myself to drowning in fabric, giving me a nice 'I could be pregnant' look. At 5'7 I'm fairly tall, but I still had to wear high platform wedges and adjust the straps as much as possible so I wasn't dusting the streets of London as I walked. The downside of this was that the flimsy cups of the 'bra' part of the dress kept slipping up above my actual bra. Not a good look! The waistcoat helped hide this and keep all that excess volume hidden, but it also more or less hid the fact it was a dress in the first place.
On the good side, I was out of my house for all of two minutes before an off-duty bus driver shouted "lovely dress, darlin'!" at me as I walked past. Was he being sarcastic? Do I care? I was greeted in the office by coos of 'oooh, you look nice, what a lovely dress' etc etc, but folks in Sainsbury's were less impressed as I got the hem caught in my sandal and hobbled around the fruit and veg section. it was also a nightmare dealing with that much fabric on a rush-hour tube train.
I think if I'm to really fall for the maxi dress, I'll be following Laura's lead and going for something with less volume next time. Maxi dresses can be flattering, but because they make a statement, you have to be careful to pick a dress that doesn't wear you!

http://www.catwalkqueen.tv/2007/05/brave_new_world_3.html#more

 

[Whitelinen]

I have to say those dresses above look very unflattering.

 

[XxpinktinksxX]

I really don't like longer dresses/skirts simply because they just make me look about 2'' tall =/. I think they look really great on tall women though !!

 

[crepebacksatin]

i'm kinda short (5'2) and i love long dresses... especially with flat sandals when it's a million degrees out and i've been too lazy to shave

personally i try to stick to solids though, in black, grey, etc... i think they look more sophisticated that way and less hippy-dippy. not that there's anything wrong with that...

 

[Tiffany7]

Im short too & I just bought a maxi skirt that I love & now want a maxi dress... havent found one yet though.

 

[seanutbutter]

kanita

Who cares if it's in or out, just wear whatever you like.

I wish more people could understand and agree with this statement. It's very true.

 

[urd]

I tried on a lond grey tricot halterneck dress at H&M the other day, it didn't really fit aroud the top, but I fell in love with the idea. So I'm making a better one myself.

I think they look best when they almoust sweep the ground, ankle-lenght is just not flattering

 

[kare2711]

Mango has some very nice long dresses if you want to try them on and see how it really looks on you.

Agree! I think Mango this season makes some gorgeous long dress. Never thought I would say this but I'm tempted to get myself a long dress.

 

[liberty33r1b]

i'd wear long for evenings, not during day (if at all). i'm usually buying a couple of short dresses each summer season, but never long....to me they look too big for summer....

 

[tifa]

I really dislike them. Not my style at all. Especially since most of them are tiered or floral, two of my other biggest dislikes. It's bringing to mind that horrible boho trend of a few years ago...oh I'm starting to feel sick now!

 

[thefunkykitten]

I really dislike them. Not my style at all. Especially since most of them are tiered or floral, two of my other biggest dislikes. It's bringing to mind that horrible boho trend of a few years ago...oh I'm starting to feel sick now!

aah! you've said the dreaded B word!!

it's funny that all the fashion people are avoiding that word... when these "maxi dresses" are 100% boho!!

 

[saann]

no they don't all have to be boho.. it's a matter of how you style it

 

[Lena]

^ agreed

plus they are a bit too loud if they are made out of loud printed fabrics

a long jersey black or brown dress with interesting colour accents , could be ideal for most bodytypes
also agree about ankle lengths they can look strane,
if it's long it has to be really very very long so it enlongates and compliments the figure

thanks for the mango tip