The Maxidress: High vs. Low

May 21, 2008 09:00 AM

maxidress



This edition of “High vs. Low� is all about how to get the maximum statement for your money, with a look that’s long on style. Alright, alright, all puns aside, the maxidress is huge for spring – and the best part is, it’s available at any price point. Can you tell the designer dress from its discount counterpart?

Exhibit A: a Rachel Pally dress from Shopbop, a splurge at $267. Exhibit B: the Maxi Tube dress from Old Navy, now on sale for just $14.49 (!) at oldnavy.com. Graphic floral print? Check. Long silhouette? Check. Dress that manages to be both comfortable and chic? A big check – for both the blowout and the bargain version. While the Rachel Pally dress is a dry-clean-only jersey knit, ON’s interpretation is made of a blend of cotton and Modal, making it not only supersoft but super-resilient (a must for summer vacay packing!)

But before you rush out to your nearest Old Navy, let’s lay out a few ground rules for how to wear the maxidress. For starters, the sheer length of the dress makes it a little trickier to wear – this is one look that’s easy to overdo. Pairing a maxi with heels is a surefire way to look overdressed and a bit contrived. Instead, stick to less-substantial footwear, like strappy gladiator-style sandals or a pair of metallic thongs (like the one the model on the left is sporting), to maintain that laidback, boho-chic vibe. Secondly, keep all other accessories to a minimum. A few delicate bangles or a pair of earthy-looking coral or turquoise earrings is all you need – anything more will just compete with the bold print and statement-making length of the dress.

And the splurge is...? Exhibit A, the Rachel Pally number, is on the left.

May 21, 2008 toodles865 wrote:
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those 2 are far too similar, great comparison! i’m not a fan of the maxi dress in general tho

May 21, 2008 thewavelife wrote:
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So here’s a question… Can a woman with a tummy wear this dress without it looking like a sausage casing? (Pardon the phrasing, but it was the first descriptive thing that came to mind.) or would Spanx be in order?

May 22, 2008 leeapeea wrote:
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JUST A WARNING: I don’t know if this is the case for all the ON maxi dresses, but I tried one on in a NH store last week, and the ties that were supposed to be on the outside were wrong.  There was one tie on the outside and one on the inside.  This was true for all the patterned and black dresses in the store that were marked down to $14.50.  It should be easy enough to fix if you know how to sew, but if you know how to sew, it’s easy enough to make your own maxi dress.

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