Help with styling maxi dress - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Help with styling maxi dress

madeline

Veteran

I have a family wedding to attend in July. The location is outside Denver. I want to wear this dress to the rehearsal dinner and need some styling suggestions. It is a true maxi dress. Will need to wear comfortable shoes with a little lift. Thanks for your help!

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from madeline

nuancedream

Veteran

What a stunning dress! I would love to see some sparkly chandelier or dangling earrings with it. Some cute embellished flatform sandals would give a little bit of lift without leaving you hobbled at the end of the night.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think it’s so beautiful! Cobalt is my favourite colour of the moment for a few years mind you so I love the background colour.
Because the dress is so long, any shoes or sandals you choose will need pretty embellishments on the front bit that pokes out. I would look for that and then try to match a bag and earrings somehow.
Exciting! I try to buy things for events like this that I’ll be able to wear again, but I have to say with variable success. If very dressy, I perhaps don’t wear enough, oh well.

madeline

Veteran

Thank you nuancedream, I love large dangly earrings so will look for some,
Jenni NZ, thank you for your suggestions. I bought this dress a few years ago and wore it just one more time after that. I didn’t like the way I styled it those times, so I welcome your input. Sparkles here I come!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Gorgeous dress! I am thinking about bangles on your arms because the neckline is high but your arms will be bare.

Sloper

Veteran

A gorgeous dress!
I like Nuance's idea of flatforms. Or low heels or wedges. I think the dress is so nice you don't need embellishment on the shoes. Maybe black patent or a darker silver (pewter?)

If you are going to go without a jacket or wrap, maybe a big cuff on one wrist?

Wouldn't do too much - the dress says everything!

Joy

Veteran

Depending on the altitude, you may want a topper, even a light one. The soft green of the flowers in the print is unusual so anything in accessories in that color would be so fabulous. If you go with a neutral, consider a metallic. If the reception in outside wear a sun hat and sun glasses. The high altitude sun is brutal.

slim cat

Veteran

Beautiful dress - perfect for occasion!
Low heels sandals in black or like it was already suggested by @Sloper dark metallics like pewter. Cobalt blue - something close enough to the blue in the dress' print - for the wrap or bag, or for the jewelry like earrings, bracelet.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Beautiful dress! May I suggest hemming either before or after the event? If you can wear it comfortably, maybe it will come out more often.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Excellent Madeline that you already own it, at least you will be adding to even a low number of wears. With my cobalt dress for my daughter’s wedding, I had a very noticeable geometric cobalt wrap but had also bought and taken with me a much more subtle silver one. ( I had silver sandals and clutch).
On the morning of, at the hotel we were all staying at, I asked my younger daughter ( bride’s sister), another bridesmaid ( bride’s best friend) and my own sister which one. They all said the brighter more noticeable one.
It’s so hard to know what to do but at least you know what you did the other times where you weren’t that happy, so you can do something different

Minaminu

Veteran

Fab dress! With those colours and patterns, I'd try to find some earrings (or bangles if that's your preference) in the green ncolour that is present in the dress. For the shoes, simple cobalt shoes would be fab.

It's an interesting exercise, it's nice to hear how differently each of us would style it up!

Tanya

Veteran

That is a beautiful dress! I would go for some low wedges/platform sandals, metallic silver/pewter would be lovely, earrings or bangle, but not both. Then a small clutch, and it would be lovely if you could find one in the colors of the print.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Agreed with Tanya — keep it simple, either statement earrings or a cuff, not both. Maybe a simple wrap in case you need a little warmth or protection. Nordstrom does a nice metallic one in silver, gold, and metallic black.

Metallic Lightweight Wrap

View Info

Top Pick

4

RoseandJoan

Veteran

That's a really beautiful dress.

I would wear hair up or swept back to show off the neckline. I would add sterling silver and lapis Lazuli earrings and perhaps a small black clutch and low heels.

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

JAileen

Veteran

Beautiful dress! Like Joy, I immediately thought of some kind of topper, for a cool evening. I also like the idea of statement earrings, like RoseandJoan suggested. Mainly, I think you should be extremely comfortable so you can forget what you’re wearing, and just enjoy the event.

cat2

Veteran

Matching metallic shoes and clutch— platinum would be my pick — and a light cream wrap.

madeline

Veteran

Thank you everyone who gave me such great styling suggestions and compliments on the dress!
cat2: Agree on the metallic shoes. I have Eileen Fisher silver wedges on the way.
JAileen and Rose and Joan: statement earrings are my jam. Love the lapis ones
Hope to find new ones or I will search through my collection!
Janet: thank you for the wrap post. I ordered the silver one!
Tanya: yes you are right about too much jewelry. It is a lot of dress with that print!
Minaminu: great suggestion about the green jewelry. Maybe a pair of light jade danglers? Cobalt shoes would be fun too!

madeline

Veteran

Slim cat: cobalt would be fab as you said to pick up the print. That’s the fun of wearing prints I think!
FI: you are right I might wear the dress more often if it was shorter. I think it’s the shiny fabric that seems too formal for everyday wear.
Joy: thank you for the altitude tips. We are arriving a couple of days early to Denver to acclimate. I’ll be sure to pack a good sun hat and shades.
Sloper: yes metallic shoes and bag !
I wish I owned an Elsa Perritti bone cuff
*sigh*
Shevia; I love silver bangles and have many. I think this is going to be a fun style lab, thanks to all my Fabber friends

Bijou

Veteran

That is a very beautiful dress and I think you could dress it up or down.

Do you have any metallic shoes or sandals? From the picture, I am seeing almost a pewter metallic colour in the print, so I think you could wear either gold, silver or pewter, depending upon your preferred metal.

A versatile option is a nude tone shoe or sandal. One of my favourite designers usually shows their special occasion dresses with a nude tone pump, probably because then the model only has to wear one shoe for the entire show. This is an example of how the shoe is minimal and lets the beautiful dress do the talking.

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

madeline

Veteran

Thank you Bijou for your nude shoe suggestion. I agree-lots of love for that option when the print is the star!

Synne

Veteran

Gorgeous dress! I think a safe bet would be shoes in any colour of the print, black could work just brilliantly. The wrap Janet posted earlier is just perfect IMO. I would need a topper with this because I freeze in air condition (is that a sentence?). I have a shawl the colour of my hair I would wear. So it matches something:-D Have fun at your event!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Pretty dress!

I think a metallic, nude-for-you, or blue shoe. A bag to match. Statement earrings and cuff. Some type of short jacket as a topper.

madeline

Veteran

Thank you Synne-I ordered that wrap in silver right after Janet suggested it.
You are so right about artic AC!
Angie- thank you for the styling suggestions. I got a pair of Eileen Fisher wedges, silver. The silver wrap is coming, but I also have an off white moto with silver hardware. Will post a style lab once I have all the pieces together. The jewelry still needs to be sorted out, then Bob will be my uncle,
Right?