Happy Thursday! If you watched the Oscars this year, you may have noticed the couture and red carpet reflections of one of this year’s big trends in fashion – exaggerated silhouettes. We see this in ready-to-wear styles like extreme wide-leg pants, oversized jackets and blazers, and boxy, cropped button-ups. A perfect example of this is the trapeze dress. Its resurgence continues again this spring and summer, in mini, midi, and maxi lengths. The triangle shape of the trapeze dress is flattering for all bodies, it’s minimalist and chic – if you want to add a little drama, go with a maxi length like I did today with a Spring Occasion Dress for Petites.
Kelly shares a Spring Occasion Dress for Petites
The outfit is shoppable via text and image widgets
Plus, find a shoppable collection of chic flat sandals at the end of the post
The trapeze dress is not a new style for me, I wore a mini version last summer, which you can see here. What is new for me is wearing a maxi-length version. This Aurelia Crepe Maxi Dress is from Banana Republic. Banana offers a plethora of gorgeous, minimalist dress styles for petites this season.
You might not think such a dramatic dress would be so versatile, but the Aurelia Crepe Maxi Dress is easy to dress up with heels for any Spring Occasion like a date night outfit, an Easter outfit, or as a spring wedding guest dress. I decided to dress it down a little with flat Leather Sandals, a look that I would take with me on vacation, it’s a perfect vacation dress.
I am wearing Petite XS. And because the petite sizes are modeled by a tall model, the dress does come a bit lower on me than the model. For reference, I am 5 feet tall.
I’ll be honest, such a voluminous dress is a lot of fun to wear. Light and flowy, it’s romantic and head-turning in an elegantly chic way. Plus, it has pockets!
For my accessories, I went with a Layered Metallic Bead Necklace. I love how the large spherical beads contrast with the angular geometric shapes in the dress print and the vibrant gold color stands out from the green and white fabric.
This Genevieve Clutch with caning sides is from J.McLaughlin, last year. The Genevieve Clutch for Spring 2024 is just as beautiful, with a bamboo frame and woven fabric sides. If you like bamboo, try the Kendra Bamboo Clutch, which features a bamboo frame and sides – a very vacation look.
(FarFetch)
These Polo Ralph Lauren Leather Sandals are quite possibly my favorite thing right now! I splurged on these sandals because I knew that the quality with Ralph Lauren is exceptional and I love the style, they’re chic and totally wearable with anything. Usually, I wear a size 5, but sometimes I size up a half size for summer shoes to account for the heat, these are 5.5 and they fit comfortably. Definitely worth the investment!
If that investment is not for you, I have rounded up several more chic flat sandals.
Yesterday, Beth shared 100 Years of Fashion History. Click the title or image below to read the article.
is our 40s+ fashion & food contributor. She posts a Daily Look on Tuesdays, writes about Fashion on Thursdays, joins Beth for Fridays with Oscar and shares a new recipe Sunday evenings.
She’s 47, 5’0, and a petite 0/XS.
Kelly also has a food blog called Djalali Cooks, which you can find by clicking the world icon below.
You’ve done it again Kelly. Your ensemble is stunning. The dress is definitely a statement, also looks so comfy. The accessories are a great contrast in gold. The Ralph Lauren sandals will serve you well for years to come. You look happy.
Hi Judy, this dress is so fun to wear! So comfy and I feel great in it, which is the epitome of style, right?! Thank you for stopping by, xo Kelly
A young woman who is as size 00 can pull off that look. Kelly looks adorable here (though I would have chosen different footwear for that particular dress.) I fear, however, that an older woman who is … more amply sized … will end up looking like a walking sofa if she wears that cut and print.
I do appreciate how you show us petite clothing options. There are a lot of us women out here who are under 5’4″ and we do want the same fashion choices as our more statuesque sisters!
Hi Claudia, I totally get your feelings on “walking sofa” and here’s the thing; I firmly believe that if you feel good, you will look good because of the confidence that feeling good brings. So, wear what feels good! Thank you for stopping by! xo Kelly
Kelly, This is the absolute best! It makes you look tall. I don’t know if it is the continuous print from neck to hem or the flowing line of this dress. It is just adorable on you! I am not a petite, but I do enjoy your contributions and your fresh outlook on things. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much, LaVonna! xo Kelly
Hi Kelly, OMG! That dress is adorable on you and I love it with the brown sandals.! I have a daughter around your age that sometimes tells me I don’t need to be so “matchy matchy”…..think shoes and purse…lol..I’m 5”4” and love that this comes in petite!! Thanks for modeling this dress….so versatile ❤️
Thanks so much, Melanie! xo Kelly