TO THE MAXI

Well wasn't last week glorious, the sun was shining, it was warming up and all was good with the world from where I was sitting (in my garden with a large glass of wine). So much so I decided to start looking for maxi dresses. I love a casual maxi dress that you can wear with sandals or espadrilles and take from day to night. My favourites for this are the free people Maxi Dresses, but these are on the more expensive side of things so I thought I'd shop the high street and see what I could find for everyone's budgets this summer. 

(from left to right-top to bottom)

1. Festival Maxi Dress with Sequin Back  Somedays Lovin @ ASOS  £120.00

2. Setting Sun Maxi Dress  Free People  £288.00

3. Linen Dress with Side Detail  Zara  £49.99

4. Boho Maxi Dress  F&F @ Tesco  £22.00 

5. Maxi Dress with Strappy Back Detail In Floral Print  Fashion Union @ ASOS  £35.00

Middle here is my favourite that I have found this season, it is from Free People and is as I said before, quite pricey. I love the soft colours and the layers of fabric and think it would look gorgeous on a beach with some lace up espadrilles for day and wedges for evening. You certainly get what you pay for with quality and it would see you through many a summer. I wanted to find something a little more suitable to my budget, and there it was in Tesco, of all places. I stumbled across the F&F dress (below-left) whilst doing my food shop and was really pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. I thought it might be a little see through on the back, but no, it was perfect. It has adjustable straps and is of course super comfy. I know it isn't a complete copy of the Free People version but the difference in price makes this quite alright by me, it certainly has enough essence of the original. So much so, it came home with me and I'm now again just waiting for a bit of sun so I can style it up. I'm going to try it with my lace up platform espadrilles (see previous post), and some layered up delicate necklaces. If you're looking for something with a bit of detail, check out the other options here. 

1. Lilac Broderie Maxi Dress  Miss Selfridge  £79.00

2. Sun Drenched Elsewhere  Free People  £200.00

3. Blossom Flower Layered Maxi Dress  Vila @ ASOS  £48.00

4. Green Floral Print Tie Waist Wrap Front Maxi Dress  New Look  £22.99

5. Embroidered Maxi Dress  H&M  £29.99

If you want something with the maxi length but aren't a fan of your arms then this one from H&M is perfect (bottom-right). It has a real boho vibe about it and would look fab with tan sandals for an easy throw on summer dress. I love the wrap dress from New Look and think the price on this one is really good. For just £22.99, it has a lot going on, with the ruffles the wrap detail and the floral pattern and is another perfect example of something you can dress up or down. It looks great here with trainers, and would look just as good with sandals or silver heels if you want to make an occasion dress out of it. The Free People dress here I think is perfect for mummies to be this summer. I think you could probably stick with your normal size and it would take you through bump and beyond. 

1. Long Dress  Zara  £29.99

2. Long Chiffon Dress  H&M  £29.99

3. Tie-Dye Dress  Zara  £79.99

Crochet is everywhere at the moment so I really loved this Zara dress when I saw it, I think it would be perfect for on holiday for beach or evening wear. The tie-dye dress also from Zara is slightly more pricey but would be something you could save for evenings with some heeled mules and of course a tan. The chiffon dress here is beautiful and would work both on holiday and in this country as an alternative for an occasion. I would style it with rose gold barely there heels and a simple clutch to let the dress do all the talking. I'd also maybe pick the blue colour out with your jewellery for extra fashion points. 

1. Maxi Dress in Festival Floral Print  Glamorous @ ASOS  £35.00

2. Women of the Water Maxi Dress  Free People @ ASOS  £128.00

3. Floral Print Cold Shoulder Maxi Dress  F&F @ Tesco  £18.00

4. Printed Bardot Maxi Dress  Miss Selfridge  £42.00

5. Moonshine Slouch Dress with Buttons Detail  Native Rose @ ASOS  £75.00

Everyone should own a black maxi dress, for those days when you just can't be bothered, because we all have those days. If you can make your MBD (Maxi Black Dress), a statement all on it's own then you're on to a winner and will pull it out year after year. The festival style dress here from Glamorous has a little bit of something going on with the pattern and could be worn with black boots and a leather biker jacket as well as sandals and a straw hat. I've included another bargain dress here from F&F, and have to say although I haven't tried it on, I have seen it in store and the quality again will surprise you. If you like the cold shoulder detail on it and want some more inspo and ideas on this, see my previous post on this summer trend. As well as the Miss Selfridge dress here with the bardot neckline. I would add a short necklace to this one to give a little more interest, and go for lace up black sandals to finish the look off. I love the cut of the Native Rose dress and although it is slightly more pricey, this is reflected in the attention to detail. And of course last but not least another Free People maxi that's going on my ever expanding wish list. This would be another perfect dress to take through pregnancy and out the other side and would cover all your wobbly bits after birth but still have you feeling glamorous at the same time. 

Looking at my very unreliable Iphone weather app, it seems that we have another little heat wave coming (don't quote me on it), so lets all get ourselves summer ready and go maxi mad. Whatever your budget or occasion, there is one out there for you. My advice is always to think about the versatility of something and how many different ways you can wear it. Check out my instagram to see me styling my dress up....hopefully next week!!

xx