Playing with lines

Outfit: Dress - Anthropologie ($78 originally sale $30), Jacket - Old Navy ($35), Bag - Vintage ($15) Shoes - Target ($15), Belt - H&M ($15)

It happened. I admit it. I am a complete sucker for maxi dresses now. I don't know how it happened or when it happened but in 2 short months my collection of maxi's has grown by four. I think I have now discovered what type of maxi dresses I like so I know what I am looking for.

While I still love my blue paisley maxi dress I wore earlier, what I look for now are thinner, simpler dresses that I can play up and make casual with sweaters, jackets and accessories.  Also, I tend to be more attracted to maxi's that are more straight from top to bottom, with a slight A-line forming at the calf. 

I picked up this dress at Anthropologie recently and I was initially attracted to the colors. Then I noticed the amazing way the stripes are laid out on this dress. Horizontal stripes can be intimidating for a lot of people because they tend to make you look wide. However, on this dress, starting on the hip there is added material with stripes going vertical creating a slimming, lean look. The result is so flattering and quite beautiful the way it falls. I am completely taken with this dress. Additionally it has long sleeves which is great for the coming cool season. You may also notice that my favorite jacket to wear with maxi's is my jean one. I think it is because wearing a long dress can make you feel formal, but adding jean to the mix also make something more casual.

PS - Happy Halloween! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and a great safe night tonight! One of my great friends and I were Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. What do you think?

Summer Haze

Outfit: Dress - LC($32), Jacket - Old Navy($30)

Summer is winding down and the temperature has dropped just a bit. I am finding myself living in this cotton maxi dress. I absolutely love how comfortable it is; I often feel like I am wearing pajamas. In the morning when I am out the door (and haven't picked out my outfit beforehand) I always reach for dresses. Starting in about February, when hem lengths in stores begin to rise, and ending in October, when all Summer sale is gone, I pick up as many cute casual dresses as possible. They are always so easy to throw on, add some accessories and then be ready for the day.

I am always surprised when I go to friends houses and find they are so low on casual dresses because it would be hard for me to live without them! This maxi dress is LC by Lauren Conrad and I love experimenting with it. I often tie up one side to add texture to the dress and on cooler days I throw a cropped black sweater over it. I love that look for fall by the way; I suggest investing in a crop sweater to throw over your maxi dress to make then fall appropriate. The look is very cute.

Happy Monday everyone!

Maxi Dresses For All

Raise your hand if you have a maxi dress? (ME!) Raise your hand if it took you forever to find the perfect one? (ME!)

I had been liking maxi dresses since they became popular about a year ago. My issue was that I could never find one that I particularly liked. This spring, H&M carried this blue paisley maxi dress. My favorite part about this dress is the blunging back. With with length of maxi dresses, its important to find one that shows a little skin at the neckline, and I think this dress achieves that beautifully.

When looking for maxi dresses here are a few tips:

1. Length - make sure that the dress is long enough to cover your feet. Your feet should just show when you walk. Otherwise the length starts to look a little awkward.

2. Day or Night - One of the great things about maxi dresses is their flexibility. They can be worn on a sunny day outing or on a dinner date at night.

3. Don't be Afraid - Floor length dresses can be intimidating. I know I was a bit nervous to wear them in the beginning, but once you wear it out once you realize just how cute it is and your fears will melt away. Fashion is all about taking risks anyways.

Outfit: Dress - H&M ($20), Jacket - Old Navy($30), Feather - Pride Festival ($7), Shoes - Target ($15)