9 Tricks About How to Wear A Maxi Dress if You Are Short and Curvy that You Wish You Knew Before
If you are one of the petite women who avoid wearing a maxi dress because you think it will make you look shorter or overwhelm your figure, let me tell you that you are missing out!
Maxi dresses are a must-have piece because they are so flattering on women in all body shapes regardless of how much they weigh or how tall they are, but the thing is that you have to understand which styles suit your petite curvy figure and how to style them in the right way.
Many easy tips will help you wear a maxi dress if you are short and curvy which you need to consider when shopping for a maxi dress.
When you apply all these styling tips, you will find it easier to shop for more maxi dress styles that you can enjoy as a new addition to your petite wardrobe.
Maxi dresses are available in different styles, cuts, patterns, and lengths. They are suitable for various occasions such as enjoying your day at the beach, meeting friends, or even going to a wedding.
With that said, having a maxi dress will be a great addition to your clothing items since you are a curvy and short woman; it is comfy and will make you look feminine, and sexy.
9 Ways to Wear a Maxi Dress if you are Short and Curvy
1. Pick the Right Fit
To make clothing items flattering to your body shape, you have to find what fits you perfectly.
As petite women, it is challenging to find fashion pieces that fit us without alteration, but the good news is that many brands offer an entire section that carries our petite sizes.
So to avoid the hassle of alternation, it is better to buy your clothes from petite stores and brands.
If you want to know where to buy clothes designed for petite body frames, check this ultimate guide that includes all clothing stores for short women.
2. Choose a Style that Suits Your Curvy Petite Body Shape
As I mentioned earlier, there are different styles of maxi dresses that you can find in the market, but not all of them will suit your body shape.
With that said, pay attention to your body shape features first to pick the perfect maxi dress.
If you are a short and curvy woman, go for simple, clean-cut maxi dresses with small cute details.
Also, avoid dresses with big ruffles, many-tiered layers, massive volume in the bottom, puffed sleeves, or many embellishments because it will make you look boxy and even shorter.
P.S If you don’t know what suits your body shape, sign up below to grab your free petite body shape guide.
Here are a few maxi dresses styles that you can wear for your petite curvy body shape
3. Pay Attention to Necklines
If you have a short torso, choose deep necklines such as V or plunge, which suit you more than closed ones because they will elongate your torso and look sexier.
But if you have a long torso, you can wear any other neckline such as the halter neck, high neck, or even one-shoulder neckline style.
P.S If you are a busty petite woman and don’t feel comfortable showing your cleavage, you can wear other types of necklines such as cowl and boat necklines
4. Choose the Right Maxi Dress Length
Maxi dresses are available in two main lengths, which are floor-length and ankle-length.
Some people consider long asymmetrical dresses maxi dresses as well.
An asymmetrical dress is a dress that has different hem lengths, whether from front and back or from left or right, as shown below.
With that said, floor-length and asymmetrical dresses are perfect for curvy petite body shapes.
When it comes to floor-length dresses, opt for a floor-length that is barely touching the floor.
If you wear longer than that, it will make you look shorter and frumpy instantly.
Pro tip: the best trick to rock a floor-length maxi dress is that it must have a high slit.
It will show off part of your gorgeous sexy legs and create an illusion that you are taller and slimmer.
Check out these stunning maxi dresses with high slit styles
5. Type of Sleeves
Don’t forget to choose the type of sleeve that won’t overwhelm your body shape.
With that said, it doesn’t matter if you wear long or short sleeves, but what matters the most is the sleeve style.
Avoid wearing oversized puffed sleeves, kimono, bell, or that have many details, which will add more weight to your shoulders and makes you look heavier.
However, if you have very narrow shoulders, you can experiment with tiny puffed sleeves or sleeves with cute detailing to highlight your shoulder area.
6. The Best Pattern for Petite Curvy Maxi Dresses
Maxi dresses are made with endless patterns and colors that you will find hard to choose from but don’t worry, and I will help you select your maxi dress pattern faster.
Choose solid colors, small prints, and vertical lines.
Solid colors will make you look taller and leaner because they will not divide your body.
Also, vertical lines will elongate your body shape and makes you look taller.
Finally, the small prints are cute and won’t overwhelm your body as large prints do
In terms of colors, enjoy wearing whatever you feel like.
But if you want to appear slimmer, then you have to choose darker colors.
7. Fabrics to Choose for Your Maxi Dress
As short, curvy women, flowy light fabrics best for you, such as chiffon, silk, and cotton, because these flowy fabrics will drape nicely on your skin to not add any weight to your body or highlight any area that you want to conceal!
8. What Type of Shoes to Pair with a Maxi Dress
Pairing shoes with your maxi dress depends on one thing: what is the occasion you are going to be?
If you are wearing a casual maxi dress, then you can wear flats or wedges that are very comfy to walk with.
But if you are going to a formal event, you must wear a wedge or any high heels to look more elegant and put together.
Don’t forget to avoid bulky heels or gladiator sandals that will make your legs look shorter and thicker.
If you struggle to find the perfect shoe size that fits your feet, check out this post with a long list I put together for stores that sell shoes for petite feet.
You will never run out of options, and some, of them, can customize your feet size too!
9. Other Accessories to Consider
If you love belts, wear a skinny belt instead of a wider one which will shorten your torso.
In addition, Wearing Small to medium bags goes well with a maxi dress and your body shape to keep it well balanced.
Finally, wearing thin cute jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets will add a nice touch to your maxi dress.
While wearing bulky necklaces and other accessories will overwhelm your body.
To Conclude
How to wear a maxi dress if you are short and curvy is super easy when applying these styling tips and choosing the perfect dress for your body shape.
Long-length dresses are very flattering fashion items that won’t go out of style no matter what.
So take the plunge and grab your perfect maxi dress to expand your wardrobe are petite curvy women.
How do you style your maxi dress?
