You may think that maxi skirts are a difficult item to style, and you aren’t wrong, but only if you don’t know the many ways to wear a maxi skirt. The most common problem people tend to encounter when styling maxi skirts is probably the issue of frumpiness, but it can also be hard to find ways to wear a maxi skirt when you are vertically challenged! No matter your personal struggle, this guide to styling your maxi skirts will take you to the chic land of wearing long skirts whenever and wherever you want.
One of the best ways to wear maxi skirts? Pretend you aren’t! A little bit of sheer paneling in your maxi skirts will show off some leg while still grazing your ankles. Like a modern princess, you can walk around the city on date night with your skirts billowing, while still maintaining the sexiness of a mini skirt. Something wonderful about this look is that it will be very hard for the wind to blow your skirt up when it’s this long, which is always a concern with a flowy mini skirt!
A cropped leather jacket and bright white tennis shoes will be the perfect compliment to a plaid maxi skirt. A moto style jacket adds some edge to the traditionally soft and approachable pattern of plaid, and your favorite pair of sneakers will keep you city slick and ready to walk for hours. You can also try this same concept, but with different textures! Remember: a classic leather jacket will always toughen up the unrestrained femininity of a long skirt, which makes adding a leather jacket one of the ultimate ways to wear a maxi skirt.
A bright green maxi skirt in denim with a frayed edge? We’re in. Purple snakeskin with a slit? Anytime. Did you say sequin? Hand it over! Instead of the super comfortable, seen on anyone who ever walked jersey maxi skirt, try an unexpected fabric, color, and/or pattern for your maxi skirt. Frumpy is partially a perception tied to old, boring, and overused, which means that new, exciting, and underused will take your look from frumpy to fashionable. Sure, a denim maxi skirt in faded blue might seem like a ‘little house on the prairie’ wardrobe staple, but when you add neon green to the equation, suddenly you have a ‘wow’ moment.
One of the classic ways to wear a maxi skirt is with a simple blouse. Add some strappy heels for a little sex appeal and to take this look away from snoozeville. The best part about this look is the pleating in the maxi skirt: a little bit of texture goes a long way in providing visual interest in your look. Stretch the comfort zone of this outfit a bit further by pairing with an edgy, frayed, darker denim, and maybe a vibrant clutch! The sky is the limit with a simple formula like this one.
Frumpy can also mean that you literally can’t see any of your body. Choosing a fitted silhouette as shown below in a sleek color like black helps show off your curves even when your skirt reaches the floor. To really up the ante, choose a maxi skirt with a slit all the way up the leg so no one can forget that your legs are incredible and you are absolutely not hiding them. You just wanted a little bit more mystery today is all!
There have been a lot of amazing monochromatic and tonal palette looks in years of late that I am totally eating up. One of the most underused ways to wear a maxi skirt would have to be jumping on this bandwagon in your best field-grazing maxi skirt! I love the copper and beige tones in the look below, and the subtle pattern in the blouse that still fits with the color palette. A fabric like silk will add some shine to your look and entertain the eye with some visual depth.
One of the great ways to wear a maxi skirt is with the easy, effortlessness of a beach look! Showing off your back is a similar concept to showing off your leg: if one thing is covered, you can show a little bit more of something else to balance your look out. The island vibes given off by the outfit below are perfect for a beach vacation or a summer night out. An elegant floral pattern on your maxi skirt can be accented perfectly by a crisp white, backless top, and the ruffles and the breezy fabrics of an outfit like this will gently catch the wind when you walk.
A blazer and a graphic tee will upgrade your maxi skirt from farm-girl or victorian lady to chic punk. Choose chunky sneakers, combat boots, Mary Janes, or any number of interesting shoes to pair with your cool new look. Honestly, the attitude is what matters most. If you decide to wear your maxi skirt like a really cool, really tough girl, than I bet you that you will be able to pull any combination of the ways to wear a maxi skirt off. Extra points for something slightly aggressive, scary, music related, or political on your graphic tee!
A military style blazer and tall boots will support the femininity of your silky, pleated maxi skirt with some serious corporate power-suit energy. The neutral color palette of the outfit below is sophisticated and appropriate for the office, for a lunch date, or even for an evening show. Choosing a simple color palette also allows you to get away with a more interesting print, like the subtle zebra print in this amazing maxi skirt! This is one of the most versatile ways to wear a maxi skirt, for sure.
Who knows how to be cool, classy, and comfy better than the stylish French girl? With a slightly different combination of items, this look could easily become frumpy, but this French girl would never allow that to happen. With her pleated, floral maxi skirt, she adds a cropped black blazer, a simple black turtleneck, and a bright red bag. All of these items are key to avoiding frumpiness: the structure of the jacket, the classique black turtleneck, and the visually surprising bag. However, I think the most important item here is the shoe. A silhouette that shows the shape of the foot, or even a shoe that shows some ankle, will be key in preventing the frumpiness from coming out in your outfit. If you aren’t accentuating the form of your body, you can still accentuate the form of your foot.
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