One Me: Lilly Pulitzer Aviana Maxi Dress / Gold Braided Espadrille Wedges / Hermes Clic Clac Bracelet / Hermes Bangle / Hammered Silver Hoops  On Tanya: Eliza J Stripe Maxi Dress / Similar Red Straw Bag

I’m excited today to have my friend Tanya Foster on the blog. You’ve met her several times before including here and here. She has been one of my dearest friends for 20 years so blogging is only one of the many things we have done together over the years.  Volunteering, celebrating birthdays and weddings as well as a support during difficult times. Tanya is like the big sister I don’t have.  It’s nice to have someone one step ahead of you who you can call for advice…graduation and moving one to college will be my next SOS!  Also, her family is precious to me!  One of her girls my youngest’s first babysitter and our husbands are friends as well.

Tanya was one of the friends who attended the garden party I shared with you last week.  And like a great sister and friend, she came early to the party to help with any last minute details!  We both ended up wearing a maxi dresses and thought it would be fun to share our tips on how to style a maxi dress for any height.

I get a lot of questions about my height so you might be surprised to know that I am 5‘2“ tall.  I’m fairly evenly proportioned which I think makes it a bit harder to tell unless I’m standing next to a leggy beauty like Tanya. I used to think that I couldn’t wear a maxi dress because it made me look even shorter. These are my tips for wearing maxi dress if you are petite.

Tips for Styling a Maxi Dress at Any Height

1. Show just a little bit of skin.
   • By this I mean show your arms or your ankles. When you covered from head to toe in a voluminous dress it can be overpowering, especially if you are petite. This Aviana dress from Lilly Pulitzer is great for any height because it has spaghetti straps and medium neckline to balance out the full length, tiered skirt skirt. This sleeveless maxi is a good illustration (and is on sale!). This is another dress that is maxi length with long sleeves that illustrates this point as well.
2. Wear platform heels.
   • Adding a little height and making sure the dress doesn’t drag the ground helps you to look taller and extends the line of the dress. Choose your shoes and you can hem the dress, if needed.  These espadrille wedges and these are my favorites this season.
3. Make sure the prints or stripes do not overwhelm you.
   • This dress is a great mix of a mini-stripes and an open pattern. Neither one of these elements overwhelm a small frame, either.
4. Define your waist
   • Most maxi dresses have a full skirt so making sure that it is tailored at the waist will help define your figure. You can do this with a self belt or contrasting belt to add this definition.

Tanya is 5‘8“ tall and is sharing her tips on styling a maxi dress on her blog today so I hope you’ll read hers as well.  On TanyaFoster.com, she shares her thoughts on style, travel, beauty and more. She especially loves products and services that speak to anti-aging.

I’ve gathered some of my favorite maxi dresses for you below.  Do you have tips on styling maxi dresses?  I’d love to know!

xo

Alicia

PS – Be sure to check out the two giveaways I have going on right now to celebrate my rebrand to Alicia Wood Lifestyle. You can find one here and the other here.  Good luck!

Photos by Audrie Dollins