What Is A Midi Dress? And What’s So Good About It?

When you are looking for dresses, you would have come across “midi dress”. Most women may think midi dresses are difficult to style because of their awkward length. While this is a valid concern, there are ways to wear your own style with midi dress. Before we start, what is a midi dress actually?

(Featuring the Maeve Button Down Tiered Green Midi Dress)

What is a midi dress

A midi dress refers to a dress that the hem is between the knee and the ankle. It’s longer than a mini dress in which the hem is higher than the knee and shorter than a maxi dress in which the hem is at the ankle.

Midi dresses suit almost every season, every occasion and every style. With different materials, cutting and hem styles, you can find style icons and celebrities wearing midi dresses to red carpets, cocktail parties or picnics.

It is a common misconception that midi dresses make the wearer look too short or too fat due to the length of the hem. Designers are aware of the potential issue and have been actively creating various midi dress styles. So it’s up to you to choose the right one for yourself.

What’s good about midi dresses?

(Featuring the Melanie Embroidery Midi Dress)

The reason that stylists and designers love midi dress is its adaptability for different occasions. There are some events where mini dresses are considered not appropriate but full-length dresses are over the top. Midi dresses hit the right balance for such situations and fill the gap perfectly.

Designers and brands use a range of materials in midi dresses that make them applicable to almost any time. Floral print midi dresses work just right for the spring while light-coloured ones are fabulous in summer. For formal occasions, midi dresses in dark colours get the job done, and you can choose dresses with velvet or sheer fabric for a bit more fanciness.

(Featuring the Octavia Floral Midi Dress)

With the right necklines and sleeves, it’s easy to match necklaces, jackets, sandals and sunglasses with midi dresses to complete the look. Oh, and never forget the strap for some extra bit of playfulness.

At the end of the day, midi dresses feature the right amount of elegance that you can bring to every occasion but still be approachable and gorgeous.

Quick tips to style a midi dress?

The ways to style a midi dress is a whole different article to write and read. While you’re here, there are a few quick tips to get midi dresses working right.

First, choose a midi dress that has the same cutting as your longer dresses. If you usually wear a pencil full-length, try a pencil midi first, and it applies to all other styles - pleated, wrap or A-line.

If you’re worried about looking too fat in midi dresses, you can try midis with flares at the hem. The flares increase the visual proportion below the knees to reduce attention at the waist area. Tuck in your tops or add a belt to further add to the story.

For better height proportion, the top end of midi dresses visually define where your waist is. Belts, elastic or tied waist midi dresses can help to guide the line that separates the torso and the legs. Tucked-in tops, again, can sell the story even more.

(Featuring the Eve White Short Sleeve Collared Shirt Midi Dress)

Midi dresses with slits are great options to show some parts of the leg to visually lengthen the lower part of your body. Wrap-style midi dresses feature slits naturally while some basic midis may have slits as well.

A good pair of heels is also helpful if you want to try out midi dresses. Heels extend the legs while reducing the weight at the feet. A rule of thumb: don’t try midi dresses with clunky shoes at first.

And finally but not least, midi dresses with the same colour or same pattern throughout the dress are usually great choices. The elegance of midi dresses shines best without too many distractions. Keep the attention on the dress to maximise its effect.