While I spent most of the late 90's and early aughts rocking skirts that hit at my ankles, I've had mixed experiences with maxi dresses. About 8 years ago, they hit retail like a force of nature and composed most women's wear lines, particularly the plus size options. I tried, I rreally did. Most often they were shapeless and frumpy and felt like I was wearing a night gown. Some of this had to do with sizing. While smaller women could rock a head to toe piece of fabric quite nicely, the amount of fabric to fit any body over like a size 16 required that there just be, like WAY too much of it. Skirts, on the other hand, only started at the waist, so didn't require quite as much roominess. I bought a couple in the beginning, but it came to a head one evening when I angrily de-maxied a dress with a pair of scissors in the studio because I was both annoyed at the fabric and way too hot. I've avoided them staunchly since, preferring midi and a-line or fit & flair options. I also feel like it's too hot in the summer to properly wear maxis without feeling like you're drowning in dress. No matter how tempting a maxi looked on the model or on the rack, I knew it only would bring sadness.
This spring, I stumbled on
this dress and was smitten. I love that shade of green, and it's my favorite lush, delicious sort of floral. If it had been a midi the length of the front, I'd have bought it on sight. While I have a similar distaste for cold shoulder items that look like you got caught in a fan, or also high/low bottoms that evoke a similar thought, I was digging on the flowy seventies garden party vibe. It was, however, not quite too much of any of those things and I couldn't figure out why I was so drawn to it. Modcloth was having a discount over the Memorial Day weekend, so I sprung for it, and while I haven't worn it out of the house just yet, I'm thinking I love it. The fabric is substantial, but also flowy--the sleeves can be worn up or down, and the ruffle high / low gives you enough breeziness that it doesn't feel like it'd be too warm. So basically all the things that I would normally find wrong, somehow, in this one, turned out absolutely right.
