What Makes a Maxi Dress Cute?

The official definition of a maxi dress is a floor or ankle-length informal dress that’s form-fitting at the top and free-flowing at the bottom. The dress is often made of cotton or polyester, and it’s cut to flow over a woman’s body loosely.

What Wikipedia leaves out in that definition is that a maxi dress is everything a woman wants: comfort, elegance, and ease of wear. You can dress it up with some stilettos or dress it down with sandals and wedges. It is literally the most versatile piece of clothing out there.

But while every woman (and we mean every single woman, tall or short) needs a couple of maxi dresses, not every maxi dress will look good on you. So, what makes a maxi dress cute?

Length

The perfect maxi dress lightly kisses the top of your feet when you are shoeless or wearing sandals. Of course, it will lift a little bit if you wear heels, but that’s not a bad thing because stilettos are sexy, and they add height.

You don’t want one that’s too short because it will cut you off at the ankles and make you look shorter than you really are. Too long a dress is also not cute because it’s dragging all the dirt from floors and hiding your pretty shoes. It also won’t be cute when the dress trips you and you fall on your face.

If you are short, look for petite maxi dresses because they are designed with a short, petite frame in mind. You also won’t have to go to the tailor for height adjustments.

Straps

Maxi dresses come in many designs, some of which have sleeves, straps, t-shirt style, and even strapless. While any of these styles is fine, maxi dresses with spaghetti straps are the cutest. If you are well endowed in the bust area, a dress with wider straps or halter style is the best because they hold the girls up comfortably. Big breasts can be heavy, and you need something that will pull everything up and prevent any sagging, even if you are wearing a brassiere.

Interestingly, ladies with small breasts look better with straps too. Straps create more definition around the neck area and pull things up, making it look like you have fuller breasts. You can pull off really thin straps if you have smaller breasts, but wider straps allow you to wear a bra.

So, who can pull off strapless and off-shoulder styles? Girls with medium boobs. These self-sustaining gifts do not to be pulled up for comfort or definition, and they are big enough to hold the dress in place.

Structure

The best maxi dress is form-fitting and structured. You don’t want to look like you threw on a bedsheet or an oversized maternity dress.

What does structure mean?

Besides hugging your hips elegantly, the dress should have a defined waist, whether a real waist or an empire. This gives you definition and accentuates your lovely figure. If you are short, an empire waist is best because it gives the illusion of longer legs, but tall women look better with real waist dresses.

Ideally, the dress comes with a waist structure or belt already. However, you can use your own belt to define the waist of an otherwise free-flowing dress.

Pockets also add structure and definition to a maxi dress, especially if they are functional. If the dress is form-fitting around the waist and hips, pockets draw attention to the hips and make the waist look smaller. You can make the outfit look even cuter by putting one or both hands in the pockets while standing or walking.

Prints

If the world was perfect, all maxi dresses would be a single color. White, grey, pink, blue, and jungle green are great dress colors. That said, I can see how prints and patterns add flavor and pop to the fashion world.

If you wear a print maxi dress, wear small floral patterns instead of large prints. Very few girls can pull off a dress with large prints because it requires the body size and the personality to match that much sass. On the other hand, small prints are cute, safe, flattering, and boho-chic.

You can choose to accessorize the dress or simply wear some cute sandals and a cross-body bag.

Material

The fabric used makes or breaks a maxi dress. As Wikipedia clearly defined it, a maxi dress should be made of soft free-flowing fabric like cotton and polyester. These fabrics drape softly on a woman’s body instead of looking stiff and balloon-like.

Looks aside, the best material for maxi dresses should be lightweight, breathable, and cool to the touch. Most people wear maxi dresses when the weather is hot, so you want something that doesn’t make you even hotter or sweatier. Also, avoid materials that do not absorb sweat, cling to your body when wet, and give off an awful odor when damp.

Unique Designs

Lastly, you want a unique, flattering dress that brings out the exciting side of you. My favorite option is high-low hem or wrap maxi dresses because they are sexy, fun, and make your body look like goals. Tiered dresses, stair-flared, maxi dresses with pockets, side slits, and asymmetrical designs are also really cool.

The idea of a unique design is to bring fun and sass to an otherwise boring dress. Any of them with heels, sunglasses and a good bag will transition from errand running to a dinner date or wedding-appropriate outfit.

All that said, the secret to looking cute in a maxi dress is accessorizing. This doesn’t mean you must wear loads of bangles and loop earrings. It simply means picking the right bag, shoe, sunglasses, and one or two jewelry pieces that bring the outfit together. If you want the dress to have a formal, classy vibe, don some stiletto heels, a clutch bag, and serious shades. Sandals, bedazzled wedges, and cross-body bags are excellent pieces for errand running, beach day, and brunch with friends.