Midi dresses - how to make them look good?

[Jellybel]

Hi ladies ....I'm looking to buy some dresses to wear to work in the summer and thought to maybe get some midi dresses. I'm almost 6ft tall and a size 12/14 and when I try these dresses on I just look frumpy with a gianormus bum! I also only own flat pumps (not keen on heels with my height and obv can't wear with boots because it's summer) so struggling to find shoes that would work with them . Any ideas on how to pull these off? Esp wrt shoes as I have no fashion sense at all and always ruin my outfits with my flat pumps

I think ballet pumps (and other delicate/neat fitting flat shoes or sandals) look best with low volume bottoms - mini skirts, pencil skirts, cigarette pants, a very slim fitting midi skirt (ideally with a slit). Anything with too much fabric and the balance is off. So a midi dress with a fuller skirt will work better with trainers, chunky sandals, ankle boots or a small heel.

Also, are you buying from tall ranges? If not, at nearly 6ft the dresses are probably simply too short and ending at an unflattering point.

I wear white trainers or chunky black sandals with midi dresses. It's a bit "mum uniform" but it looks better than ballet pumps would IMO.

You need to wear sandals or trainers. Ballet pumps will look very dated

I'm 6 feet tall, size 14 and look ludicrous in dresses. There are so.many frills and flounces, which make me feel like Big Bo Peep.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. It finally makes sense why floaty and frilly dresses look awful on me. I thought it was just me!

@LeeMiller makes an excellent point about making sure they are the right length. Too short looks old fashioned and dowdy rather than on trend, floaty midi.

I have the opposite problem being extremely short. For me the way to stop them looking frumpy is to have them taken up to the right length so they show the bottom five inches or so of my leg including my ankles. This is the slimmest bit of my leg so gives an impression of me being taller and slimmer than I am. Obviously I then have to make sure that whatever shoes/trainers I wear also show my ankles so nothing high cut.

I have this ! Is it a tall thing. I'm slim and my bum looks massive in dresses and no massive good massive frumpy. I look massive from the side and skinny from the front.

Try this, it looks really lovely on, isn't fussy, skims and hangs beautifully - it does come up very long though, a tall on me (5'6) came to the floor, so would be a good midi on you. It also has pockets, comes in about 5 colours.

www.next.co.uk/style/st701904/A07019#A07019

A lot of it is down to shoes - ballet pumps are very dated (particularly with dresses). Chunkier sandals or even crocs (!) are really fashionable right now - Dr Marten type platform chunky sandals, or chunky trainers.

I think a lot of people tend to wear dresses too small as well. They look better slightly oversized often if they’re quite loose / floaty.

Midi dresses on me come to just above my calf, which is the best cut off point in my leg personally. I do have a big butt, so they don't minimise it, but that's never been my thing ever since Sean complimented my butt when i was 13 and he was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen, but i digress. I wear them for the ease and comfort. You can move in full skirted midi dresses, you can stride, run, sit comfortably - knees don't have to be pinned together to maintain privacy, there's air flow ... ah, the midi!

I think that's because they've had the roe day now and they are actually frumpy!
They are pretty much a mum uniform around here, usually paired with white trainers and a denim jacket.

I have a pair of woven tan loafers similar to the ones posted earlier and they are great for work. As a previous poster said, I prefer to go longer rather than midi, I have a couple of the Dancing Leopard long shirt dresses and they are much more flattering.

I wore ankle boots with bare legs last week (before it became stupidly hot) and really liked the look. My office is very conservative so I wasn’t sure I’d get away with it but the world didn’t end.

I think midi dresses can look good on most people, but its about finding the right style & footwear option, which can be tricky. I've found what suits me by a LOT of trial error, and it's in no way whats popular or 'on trend' but it works for me.

The popular 'mum' look of floral midi & white trainers looks dreadful on me. I'm tall , busty and a size 12 hourglass and that type of dress just swamps my shape. I also hate floral prints. Plus long skinny legs and skinny ankles with big feet and clumpy trainers looks all kinds of wrong. I can't do the more fashionable chunky shoe looks at all. Whenever there is a shoe or sandal thread on MN I swerve it because I know it will be full of DMs and massive, chunky platforms and that just isn't my thing.

I've also found mid calf dresses are wrong on me. I have to go just below knee and for a more fitted a-line or pencil style. Shoes have to be slim fitting wedges or flat sandals or at a push those slim, low top white Converse or Lacoste styles.

The point of my long waffle is that you have to hunt for what suits your shape and style. Not easy in a sea of flimsy floral midi dresses in EVERY high street shop.

I'm 5ft11 size 12 top 14 bottom (tall pear) if midis fall at the widest part of my calf I can look frumpy; so I tend to wear maxi dresses which reach my ankle or midaxi ones which are between knee and ankle but not in the middle on my calf.
I wear midi/maxi dresses with white leather trainers and a denim jacket (which apparently identifies me firmly as middle-aged mum - which is true but am happy with it!)
Recently bought a denim shirt from M&S with 3/4 sleeves and a round neck, kind of blouson style and thick enough to wear as a jacket - £25, really lovely

I love a midi but I’m 5foot 4 and have slim calves and ankles so I think they are flattering on me. If your calves/ankles aren’t, I wouldn’t bother as it draws attention to them.
At your height I would buy a maxi - that’s going to be midi length on you. Plus you have to be careful with shoes. I would only wear trainers or cool sandals with midis. Possibly a nice wedge. Never courts, never closed flats, never heels - that makes them look old fashioned and frumpy on me.

@SilverTown how incredibly rude to describe shorter people as 'short arses'. Especially as you've said yourself you're nearly 6ft tall. I don't get why tall women seem to think they're superior in some way to shorter women. I'm sure being 'nearly 6ft' you wouldn't like being called unflattering names about your height.

Not all midis are created a like. There is so much about the neckline, sleeve length and style, patters/plain and the 'skirt' part of it. A midi can hit at different points and you'd be surprised what an inch or two shorted or longer would do to alter the look.
I think flat ballerina shoes are better with skirts and midis and more modern when they are pointed ballerina or even square. The rounded toe ones seem outdated and Sunday Teacher vibes (i.e. very conservative and, wearing midi for modesty not as a fashion)

Have a look at Cos and Arket - they tend to be minimalist styles without the ditsy prints which I’m personally not a fan of. I think Cos is a bit stronger this year for the dresses including long t shirt dresses with a side split and shirt dresses. They usually have a minimalist sandals and flat shoes too.

I think you have a good point there! There is a lot more to flattering clothes than blanket rules because there are huge variations in body shapes and proportions. I have slim ankles and longer legs to torso ratio and find cropped and midi look good on my legs even though I'm short.

My issue with midi dresses is that they cut off at the most unflattering part of my calf. And 9/10 times they have funny cut on the chest so they look extra frumpy on my large chest. Frills etc just excenturate the parts of my body which need it the least