Hello, it’s great to see you today! This week I am sharing the summer style hack for petites that I often use for styling and wearing maxi dresses. More often than not, petite dress styles are merely shorter hemlines and torso lengths. If the dress has darts on the sides of the bust, sometimes they end up being a little lower.
For less complicated dress styles, it’s really easy to create a petite maxi dress out of a regular size midi dress: it’s a maxi from a midi. Do note, though, that lengths will be slightly different for all of us!
The two dress examples I have today are perfect for this maxi dress hack. Empire waist styles and tank-style dresses work the best because they don’t have a traditional waistline to contend with.
The Summary
Today Kelly shows us THE summer style hack for petites
Kelly models two Midi-as-Maxi dresses
The dresses are shoppable via a text or image widget
Kelly rounds up her 8 favorite Midi-as-Maxi dresses for Summer
The Summer Style Hack For Petites
1. Empire Waist Dress
(J.Crew)
An Empire style dress has a fitted bodice that ends just below the bust. We don’t have to worry about the waistline hitting in the correct spot. One thing to look for in a dress like this are adjustable straps. A dress’s straps can make this hack challenging, if the straps are too long. But with adjustable straps, we can adjust them to fit.
This tie-back dress is from J.Crew. It comes in a couple colors and this sunny yellow block print.
With such a summery, sunny dress I have lace up espadrille wedges from J.Crew Factory. These neutral wedges go with pretty much everything and I like that they have metallic threads in the canvas.
Shop the outfit
2. Cotton Tank Dress
(J.Crew)
I really love a tank or tee shirt style dress. They are so comfortable on hot summer days. I have many shorter styles, but this is my first midi-as-maxi version.
This cotton tank dress is also from J.Crew. I went with black for a chic, casual look, but this style comes in a few other great summer colors.
Another thing I love about this style is that you can add a belt to give it structure and shape. Then maybe wear strappy heels to dress this dress up a bit. Or you can keep it casual, style it with some leather slides. These are old, but this crisscross style is popular again this year, check out some alternative versions.
(Similar) Everlane Crossover Sandal | (Similar) Banana Republic Crossover Slide Sandal | (Similar) Madewell Louisa Crisscross Slide
Shop the outfit
Great Midi-as-Maxi Dresses From Madewell
Left Board: Tie Strap Tiered Dress | Tiered Midi Dress | Ruffle Sleeve Tiered Dress | Smocked Midi Dress Right Board: Sweater Tank Dress | World of Crow Front Tie Dress | Linen Blend Cami Dress | Smocked Midi Dress
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, Beth showed you how to wear one of 2022's biggest Summer trends. Click the title or image below to read the article.
Happy Tuesday, ladies! I'm writing you from my hotel in Greensboro, GA. I decided to take a little staycation this week. I'll be sharing all of the details next week, so stay tuned! But we've still got a great OOTD today: a spring FARM Rio dress that I have a feeling you're gonna love.
I've said it all Spring, but this year is all about bright & bold colors. And today's dress embodies that mantra perfectly. I'm loving this dress because of its flexibility. I can see styling it up or styling it down in a sort of boho-chic sorta way. However you style it, I know it's gonna turn heads and bring smiles to people's faces.
The Summary
Today's featured item is a dress from FARM Rio
The dress is modeled, and I pulled together 2 alternates
The dress is shoppable via a text or image widget
Each alternate is shoppable via a text widget
Spring FARM Rio dress
1. Front Circle Cut Out Midi Dress
(Farm Rio)
Today's dress (Farm Rio) comes in multiple colors. I went with pink, but I'm loving the yellow as well. As with any bold color, pick one that works best for you---one that you're going to feel comfortable in and you think best complements your skin tone.
With such a stunning dress, accessories are going to do all the work for you in shaping the tenor of the outfit.
Dress (Farm Rio) limited colors available at Nordstrom | Shoes (Soludos) available at Nordstrom | Handbag (Demellier) available Tuckernuck | Similar pearl necklace | Similar cuff bracelet | Similar earrings | Watchband | Bangle
Shop the outfit
2. Accessories
With such a stunning dress, accessories are going to do all the work for you in shaping the tenor of the outfit.
My accessories strike an ever-so-slightly more formal pitch today. I could imagine wearing this outfit to, say, a graduation or even an outdoor wedding.
But if you take a look at my alternative stylings below, the whole tenor of the dress can easily be changed by swapping out the shoes and bag.
Dress (Farm Rio) limited colors available at Nordstrom | Shoes (Soludos) available at Nordstrom | Handbag (Demellier) available Tuckernuck | Similar pearl necklace | Similar cuff bracelet | Similar earrings | Watchband | Bangle
Shop the outfit
3. Dress Details
(Farm Rio)
Who needs a belt when you have this unbelievably cute o-ring detail. How fun is that?
One of my favorite aspects of dresses are the small details that set them apart from the pack. And today's dress does not disappoint.
Dress (Farm Rio) limited colors available at Nordstrom | Shoes (Soludos) available at Nordstrom | Handbag (Demellier) available Tuckernuck | Similar pearl necklace | Similar cuff bracelet | Similar earrings | Watchband | Bangle
Shop the outfit
Alternative Stylings
In Case You Missed It
Yesterday, I featured a jumpsuit from Banana Republic and showed you how to dress it up with accessories. Click the title or image below to read the article.
Happy Monday, ladies! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are rested as we head into a new week. I spent the whole weekend working in the yard—boy am I pooped! Using muscles I forgot existed. But I love this time of year, I really do. It’s such a joy to open the porch back up and sit outside during the evenings. Today, I’ve got the loveliest 2022 tiered midi dress from Neiman’s. And in a lot of ways, it builds on yesterday’s post, 4 Perfect Spring Color Combinations. You’ll see why.
2022 tiered midi dress
I’m loving olive green this year. Today’s outfit is a matchy-matchy pairing between an olive green linen shirt and a tiered green midi skirt —both available at Neiman Marcus. I really been treating olive green as a neutral this Spring, as it takes to a color pop so well. (Hello, pink.).
Olive Green Linen Shirt (Neiman Marcus) | Tiered Green Midi Skirt (Neiman Marcus) | White tee | Suede sandals (Stuart Weitzman, old, similar here and here) | Tan handbag (Brahmin) | Station necklace (Tory Burch, old, similar here and here) Bracelets from Nest
Shop the Post (click below)
Suede sandals
I went with a pair of suede sandals from Stuart Weitzman (old, similar here and here). But I could easily see swapping out the sandals for a pair of slides, mules, or loafers.
Olive Green Linen Shirt (Neiman Marcus) | Tiered Green Midi Skirt (Neiman Marcus) | White tee | Suede sandals (Stuart Weitzman, old, similar here and here) | Tan handbag (Brahmin) | Station necklace (Tory Burch, old, similar here and here) Bracelets from Nest
Shop the Post (click below)
Accessories
The station necklace is from Tory Burch (old, similar here and here). Loving her this year as my email subscribers well know. And how cute is this tan handbag? Tan and olive green go together like peas and carrots. (Old carrots, I guess? Maybe a bad analogy.)
Olive Green Linen Shirt (Neiman Marcus) | Tiered Green Midi Skirt (Neiman Marcus) | White tee | Suede sandals (Stuart Weitzman, old, similar here and here) | Tan handbag (Brahmin) | Station necklace (Tory Burch, old, similar here and here) Bracelets from Nest
Shop the Post (click below)
Two alternative ways to wear it
For those of you that read 4 Perfect Color Combinations for Spring, know that drab/olive green & pink was my first pairing. I decided to rework 2 of those outfits with today’s midi skirt to show you its flexibility. Here’s what I came up with.
Outfit 1
Twill jacket | V-Neck Tee | Tiered Green Midi Skirt (Neiman Marcus) | Suede platform espadrilles | Rattan crossbody bag
Shop the outfit (Click below)
Outfit 2
Casual linen blazer | Tiered Green Midi Skirt (Neiman Marcus) | Linen band collar popover | Suede espadrilles | Rattan crossbody bag
Shop the outfit (Click below)
In case you missed it
I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Jenny Sue Makeup. If you don’t know her, you should! One of my favorite people. Here’s our conversation.
Welcome Kelly
In case you missed it, yesterday, we announced Kelly Djalali coming on as a regular contributor. Here’s what that means.
TUESDAY: DAILY LOOKS
On Tuesdays, Kelly will be posting an entry to our Daily Looks feed. She’ll post an OOTD and you can shop those outfits easily through the shop widget below the photo. Being of a smaller stature, at 5 feet tall and 105 pounds, Kelly will create fresh looks with a focus on classic style for petites.
THURSDAY: FEATURED POST
On Thursdays, Kelly will be contributing a full-length fashion-related post. Whether she’s modeling outfits or giving you tips on how to build her capsule wardrobes, you can expect the same great content you’ve come to expect from SAACA.
SATURDAYS: KELLY’S KITCHEN
Kelly will be reviving her Kelly’s Kitchen column on Saturdays. Each week, you can expect a delicious, easy-to-follow recipe.
Happy Sunday, ladies! I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend so far. With society continuing to open up, 2022 looks like it will be chock-full of in-person special occasions—much more so than the past two years. Maybe you’ll attend church services; celebrate a wedding; or simply get together with family for brunch. This all means one thing: it’s dress season. So today, I’ve put together a guide to Spring dresses.
First: this guide isn’t exhaustive. I’ve restricted it to 6 dress types:
- wrap;
- sheath;
- flare;
- midi;
- shirtdress; and
- shift.
If this post is successful, we can certainly extend the guide to include more dresses.
For each dress type, I’ve i ) gone through the archives and pulled examples of how I’ve worn that in the past; and ii) put together shoppable widgets from the following retailers:
- Ann Taylor;
- Walmart;
- Talbots;
- J.Crew;
- J.Jill;
- LOFT;
- Tuckernuck.
If you don’t see anything you like, in the widgets, you can click on the above links to take you directly to new dress arrivals. So let’s get to my guide to Spring dresses 2022.
Guide to Spring Dresses
To help you out a bit more, I put together a quick definitional guide for each dress type. I’ve also created a collage of the general silhouettes that you might find useful as you think about what dresses work best for you.
Wrap
A wrap dress has a closure in the front. It’s formed by wrapping one side across the other. The ties are then tied together in the back.
Sheath
A sheath dress is a fitted, straight-cut dress. It’s nipped at the waistline with no waist seam.
Flare
A flared dress has a top bodice that is fitted and a skirt that flares out.
Midi
A midi dress is any type of dress that rises above the ankles but falls below the knees. It’s sometimes called “the mid-calf”.
Shirtdress
A shirtdress takes details from a shirt: a collar, a button front, or cuffed sleeves are all examples.
Shift
A shift dress’ cloth falls straight from the shoulders and has darts around the bust.
Shopping tips
A few quick tips when shopping for dresses this Spring.
- Remember, bright & bold colors are in for Spring. I’ve got a Spring color guide if you’re interested, but you can never go wrong with a neutral dress.
- If you’re looking to accessorize your dress, make sure to check out my essential accessories guide. You’ll find everything from bags to jewelry.
Alright, let’s see some examples of how to wear these dresses.
Wrap
Shop wrap dresses (click below)
Sheath
Shop sheath dresses (click below)
Flare
Shop flare dresses (click below)
Midi
Shop midi dresses (click below)
Shirtdress
Shop shirt dresses (click below)
Shift
Shop shift dresses (click below)
In case you missed it.
Yesterday was Fridays with Oscar. We’ve got a tasty recipe for you and a sneak peek at some home renovations.
Daily Looks
Make sure to catch up on our DAILY LOOK. We post a dedicated photo to our daily outfit every Wednesday-Sunday. And you can shop those outfits easily through the shop the widget below the picture.
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