Signature Style Series: Effortlessly Chic – Take it to the Max(i)

Today is our last post in the signature style series, Effortlessly Chic. Let’s have a moment of silence.

Now that we’re past that, it should be no surprise to anyone that I am a fan of dresses. Mostly because they are super easy. Think about it. You only have to decide on one, single item of clothing. It seriously gets no easier than that! Then, you bust out a few accessories and a fab pair of shoes and you’re out the door.

In all my days of wearing dresses (and it’s a LOT of days) I’ve always found that I have felt my most confident and chic in two things: a cocktail dress or a maxi dress. Since we’re here to talk effortless chic, cocktail dresses are not the topic of this post. After all, they can be anything but effortless. But a beautiful, flowing maxi dress? They’re about as easy as Sunday morning.

Here is the thing about a maxi dress – the style is almost universally flattering as long as you have it cut the right length (so get it hemmed or lengthened!!) and you choose a flowing fabric. They also look good regardless of whether you’re rocking a pattern, print or solid color. And even though the length is the same (long) there still tons of variations to best fit your style, like one-shoulder, sleeveless, tank-style, spaghetti strapped, etc. And, given their length, you do not need to over accessorize a maxi dress. Often minimal jewelry works best – a strong earring, embellished necklace or arm full of bangles will do the trick (NOT worn together!).

Two of my favorite maxi dresses are highlighted for you below. The first is a one-shoulder frock I picked up at Dress Barn (www.dressbarn.com). It’s luxurious material (I’m a huge texture person), silky smooth finish and edgy pattern make it a go-to for me when I’ve got a summer event to attend.

Bathroom pic not withstanding, you can see that all it takes is a bold red purse to make the entire ensemble pop. Nothing else is over the top as not to compete with the dress which is a bold statement in its own right.

The second dress is by Allen B. for JC Penney (www.jcpenney.com) and is a beautiful patterned piece with peek-a-boo sleeves and a jewel-detail neckline. Again, this dress needs nothing more than a ring, some black stud earrings and simple black sandals to pull it all together. As you can see, there really is nothing easier than pulling this look together.

So, have you added maxi dresses to your effortlessly chic wardrobe? Did you know you can transition them to fall (look out for an upcoming post about that)? Aren’t they completely easy and carefree?

Let me know what you think!!

Your Chic is Showing,

          

Photo Credits: CoraStar Productions