Midlife Loves

"Timeless everyday style"

Midlife Loves

The Benefits of a Maxi Dress

I don't know about you but with all this blue sky we've recently been seeing it's got me thinking about our impending summer & heatwave (I'm going for the positive thinking angle here - well they do say it can have a big impact!!!).

Now whilst I love my blazers & jeans even I will break out the bear legs come a substantial rise in temperature.  But unless we've had some serious heat to allow my dazzlingly blinding milky white legs to go a sunkissed golden colour (or I've had some significant success in the old self tanning department - i.e. no streaks or uneven patches on the heels/ankles - is it just me but no matter how much attention I pay to this area there's always a level of fail?!!!) then my hem line doesn't rise much above floor level!  The exception to the rule being in the back garden, whilst on holiday or after returning from said holiday!

Which leads me onto the glorious maxi skirt and dress.  Now in my view these have sooooo many positives it's untrue.  Firstly bearing in mind our past glorious summers (not!) even when the weather is shall we say for want of a better word 'a little chilly' you can still get away with wearing a maxi skirt/dress because even though you've got bear legs at least there's fabric covering the whole of your skin which can in times of emergency be wrapped round & tucked in like a blanket if you should be experiencing a severe draft!!!  Of course you could (not that I ever have - but hey there's still time!) even wear some very fetching thermal knee highs under said dress to keep you warm providing of course appropriate footwear is being worn (obviously not a sandal & sock mix) & that the weather isn't forecasting any sharp gusts of wind (so as to avoid a Marilyn moment - without the sex appeal!).

On top of this of course they hide a multitude of sins & mean along with not having to have slapped the old tan on, more importantly we don't need to worry about any re-growth we may or may not have on our legs!  I mean seriously what's not to love?! :)

Now as you would expect at this time of year there is a huge amount of choice in both the maxi skirt & dress department so for this blog I will concentrate on the maxi dress & then post my next blog on some of the maxi skirts that have caught my eye.

So turning to the maxi dress, which have an additional benefit of not even having to worry about what tops to wear with them, you can simply just chuck one on, add some sandals (weather permitting) or maybe some biker boots to 'rock chick' it up a bit if it's wet, add a few accessories in the arm candy department & maybe even a statement necklace & away you go.  And for cooler days just sling on a denim jacket (preferably fitted & shorter in the body so as not to swamp the dress or you) which of course will go with any coloured dress & can be removed should the sun decide to come out & play!

Now if you're like me & have what I describe as 'pale & interesting' skin (or in other words are always been described as 'looking tired' - I mean really is there any wonder I now have a love of fake tan!) then I'm not overly confident in wearing head to toe cream/white unless I've spent the last couple of weeks slogging my guts out 'working' on my tan!  But when teamed with a denim jacket & the right accessories a cream/white dress can look fabulous & come summer time I'm always a sucker for such colours especially when mixed with a bit of lace.

In particular I love this dress from Mango.





I think this would look stunning worn with some gold strappy gladiator style sandals and arm candy to warm the skin tone.

I also love this black and white dress from good old Marks & Sparks.  Not quite leopard print (Bet back in your box) but near enough and again worn with the right accessories would look great either dressed down with a denim jacket for day wear or dressed up with some bright accessories for evening or a special occasion.







The next dress that caught my eye is this black one from ASOS.  I love the simplicity & slight 'hippy/laid back' vibe and think it's another dress that could be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.






I also love this one from ASOS, in particular the colour & the cross over top which is so flattering and of course for a different look you could always swap the belt to maybe a gold, or silver or even a tan coloured one.






This one from Mango is also very pretty & I love the colours & would look lovely worn with some tan accessories.






Now I couldn't write a post without featuring a bit of leopard print (sorry it's Bet time!) & think this dress from Wallis, which is currently on offer could look absolutely stunning & of course being grey instead of the normal brown just adds that extra dimension.





And finally I love all three colours of this one shoulder dress which is also from Wallis.  Ok some maintenance would be required on your legs due to the shorter length at the front but it would be worth surely?!














And now after all that gorgeous floaty material, here's a round up of what I've been wearing the last couple of days.


Outfit One




Top - Zara
Bracelets - New Look & Handmade
Scarf - Zara
Jeans - Massimo Dutti
Shoes - Zara


Outfit Two




Top - Massimo Dutti
Bracelets - J Crew, Massimo Dutti & Handmade
Jeans - Massimo Dutti
Shoes - from Majorca


Outfit Three




Scarf - Zara
Jacket - Massimo Dutti
Bracelets - New Look & Massimo Dutti
Top - Zara
Belt (Not Shown) - Massimo Dutti
Jeans - Zara
Shoes - from Majorca


Outfit Four




Scarf - Zara
Sweatshirt - Zara
Bracelet - New Look
Quilted Jacket - Zara
Jeans - Zara
Shoes - from Majorca


So what do you think?  Do you spend the summer living in maxi dresses & love the freedom they offer in the non-tanning de-hairing department?!  Have you seen a maxi dress that you've got your eye on?  As always I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great couple of days & I'll be back soon with a selection of maxi skirts that have caught my eye shortly x


13 comments

  1. I do love a maxi dress. I have two that I would like to replace actually, one is a strapless bandeau style which I feel is too young for me, I want maxi dresses with short sleeves this year or my bingo wings will never forgive me!

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  2. Strapless bandeau style maxi dresses are so useful & no you're not too old for this style lol! When I'm feeling particularly pasty I sometimes drape a pashmina over my shoulders x

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  3. Great blog as always! Love the ASOS black dress and the Mango crossover one.

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    1. Thanks Fashion Lover, there's soooo many lovely maxi dresses around at the moment....it's hard to choose which one to go for! x

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  4. I love a good maxi dress but it's hard to find one which doesn't swamp me and I do do that thing when I step on the front hem going up stairs. Especially bad if you are wearing a strapless one!

    BTW - love the scarf in outfit 4. Is that current?

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    1. Oh gosh I have also been known to trip over the front of my maxi dresses/skirts, I'd forgotten about that lol! Sorry but I brought the scarf in the autumn but eBay may be worth a try - you never know x

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  5. The black ASOS one is a dream! I need to go and collect my 'Big Top' from the seamstress & see if shes worked her magic on it! ;) Ax

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  6. I love your blog! maybe we could follow eachother? let me know!
    www.nobodyputskorininthecorner.blogspot.co.uk
    xxx

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    1. Thanks Korin. I'm off to check out your blog now x

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  7. Beautiful Maxi Dresses For Women collection, so great, I like so much, thanks for sharing.

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    1. Glad you like them Augustine - there are so many beautiful dresses out there, it was hard to choose x

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  8. I agree with you. And your point and research is right. I love this Maxi dress collection

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