So today I bought something that I swore I would never wear after my Goth days ended

[BelligerentGhoul]

I have insulted this item on here for years but today I gave in and bought one.

A black maxi dress, in the sale from The White Company (not on website anymore so no link). Tis v nice and I think I managed to not look too much like an Adams family reject in it.

Now - how to wear it in different ways please?

I tried that on, it's gorgeous.
Sadly I don't have the figure for me to look gorgeous in it!

Thanks Morag. Believe me, my figure is not gorgeous either! But the dress just sort of skims over the non-gorgeous bits and emphasises the better bits (first time I've felt okay about showing off cleavage!).

So where are all the wise ladies when I need them?

How do I wear this dress please? Or was it a huge mistake to buy it?

It looks nice with flat sandals and a denim jacket but there must be other ways....

Oh I love it when doubters become converts

I wear mine a lot with little denim jacket and am sure you already have one of those.

yes denim jacket and sandles but I also like to wear mine with a big brown hipster belt and a cardi if it's chilly or team it with a long dangley necklace and loads of bangles.

Oops cross post.

NAP are showing them with gilets like this

I wear flat sandals, denim jacket and bangles or more dressed up with wedges and beads/necklace and either cropped cardi or nothing. Can wear with colour vest underneath.

I think that drapey thing would be awful on me Tracey. I am already short and norky, so I need fairly fitted things with the dress, I think.

I'll try it with a belt. Sweetheart - do you think a cropped, fitted grey cardigan might be okay over it? Have got this one

Vest underneath is a good idea. I bought a lovely soft grey and white striped one, also in the White Company - might that work?

Well all the glossies are promoting maxis for AW so could work.

I do prefer maxis though on warm days with just denim jacket as throw on. With nice bangles as Tilly said.

Or longer cardigan with narrow belt round waist is how I've also seen them styled but never tried that myself.

I have some nice bangles! Black and silver, plus plaited leather.

I also think denim jacket w flat sandals (am thinking embellished a la Antik Batik style). Perhaps some bangles, earrings or necklace. As I feel the cold I always take a coloured pashmina to knot around neck if weather turns. On phone so links are hard. I do like w a nice little cardi, too. Not sure re vest underneath to be honest. But I am not the snappiest of the wise ladies!

Thanks Bunny - you always sound v snappy to me!

another maxi wearer here

often wear with denim jacket and embellished/ metallic flat sandals
also with long lightweight cardi although have never belted

lots of jewellery - long pendant (buy the Asos owl!! it's an outfit-maker ) stacked bangles etc.

personally would not do vest under but that's just me.

You always look so gorgeous in yours, cake, that I couldn't possibly live up to it. I've got a thigh length, short sleeved grey linen-mix cardigan that I could try over it but again it might be a bit too bulky. I'm v short-waisted, so belts at the waist aren't a great look for me tbh.

I've got a long silver leaf pendant - that could work, providing it doesn't sit right in the cleavage!!!

I haven't seen the dress you have bought and the vest thing doesn't work with all my maxis but I have a couple of deep v necked plain jesery ones where it looks good (and stops me flashing too much nork when chasing after dc's )

WTF is jesery ?!

yep thats exactly the sort of cardi I wear with mine. I've also got a maxi skirt and wore it with a boyfriend cardigan yesterday which looked ok. Great if your having a fat day!

cake can we have an owl link?

I'm never a belt person - don't like to draw attention to my middle but a large hipster belt just works with this - kinda hides any clingy bits!

something like this

Saw a pic of Kylie (not tall!) recently, wearing her maxi with a denim shirt over the top, like a jacket, and a narrow tan belt pulling it in. Looked vey, vey cool.

the owl l believe - but out of stock.

However!!

I have found this which is vaguely similar. Have not bought it myself yet though.

Thanks for the cardi heads up, Sweetheart - I will try them together.

I have a belt v similar to the one you linked to, so will try that.

Tilly - I think mine would be okay with a vest under and certainly, if I want to wear it to work or going about in the day in England, rather than on holiday, I'd want the security of a little scoop-neck cami I think.

Sorry but am not fond of that owl necklace - it reminds me a bit of those clowns that people were wearing a couple of years ago.

Plum - how tall is Kylie? I'm not as thin as her (not fat at a 10-12 but deffo not Kylie thin!).

another owl

Think Kylie is about 5ft, but also about 5 stone, so not really a proper person at all. Do think it's a good look though, and would work with vest underneath.