Tips on Wearing a Maxi Dress or Skirt

Thank goodness the maxi is back in fashion, a maxi skirt or dress is the best way to hide imperfections in your legs, especially your ankles. If you are always wearing heels to give your legs some shape a maxi will allow you to take a break for a day and wear some comfortable flats, and still look great. To ensure you buy the right maxi, I have put together some tips to help you choose one for your figure.

1. Avoid Too Many Frills
A skirt with many frills may look fantastic on the rack, but usually makes women look like they want to be walking down the aisle in a bridal dress. Save the frills for your wedding day and avoid too many frills and furbelows on your everyday dresses and skirts.

2. Avoid the Overly Full Maxi
An overly full maxi with yards of extra material will make any figure look fatter. Choose a slimmer cut, such as an A-line to make the most of your figure, while minimizing the perception of weight. This is particularly important if you carry extra weight around your waist.

3. Shorter Women Can Wear Maxi Skirts Too
While taller women look fabulous in any maxi skirt, many shorter women feel that a maxi skirt emphasizes their lack of height. To avoid this, choose a maxi skirt with a subtle A-line and a vertical stripe within the pattern. This will make your legs look longer. Avoid any horizontal strips or hem detailing, as anything that stops the eye from travelling down will give the illusion that your legs stop at that point, visually shortening your legs. You want the skirt as long as possible, virtually touching the floor, this will give your legs the maximum visual length.

4. Blend the Skirt and Top Colours
Whenever you wear a maxi skirt, make sure the top you wear matches the maxi skirt. Blending the colours, so that there is little or no visible line between the top and the skirt. Blending the top with the colour of the maxi skirt, rather than wearing a contrasting top, provides a smooth vertical line and makes your body look longer and leaner.

5. Wear Close Fitting Tops
Wear close fitting tops when you wear a maxi skirt. Because a maxi skirt will create a flowing effect, you do not want to wear loose flowing tops as well as this will emphasize your width, rather than your height. A tighter fitting blouse or shirt will give your Silhouette a slim line from your shoulder to the flowing finish at your feet.

Maxi skirts and dresses are fashionable and give you a pleasant change from wearing pants all the time, especially if you want to cover your legs. Buy a maxi that accentuates your length, to create a slim-line look. If you choose to go with the skirt select tops that don't contrast with it and make sure they are close fitting. Avoid any horizontal stripes and too many frills and you will always look great in your Maxi.


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Image consultant and personal stylist, Annalisa Armitage, offers advice on how to wear the fashionable maxi skirt to the best effect as well as thousands of other tips directly related to you as part of a makeover.