So what are we wearing instead of floral midi dress and white trainers this Spring?

[KrabiBeach]

Like many 35-55yo women I've been wearing a floral midi dress with trainers every Spring/Summer for the past few years. I always buy dresses with pockets and love the comfort, practicality and coolness (temperature-wise) on a sunny day. Easy to layer under a denim jacket, biker or blazer and wear with any white trainers or converse etc.

It was inevitable that such an easy outfit would become so ubiquitous that the fashion world declared it "dead".

I'm gutted but I am a follower of style. So yes, I know it's shallow but this is the Style board so.... What other outfits fit the brief?

One journalist in the Sunday papers suggested trouser suits are the new floral midi dress and trainers. But I don't think a trouser suit would work in a hot day like a flowery dress would, no matter how much you keep it casual with a t-shirt and trainers - it's still too hot surely?

If you're a follower of trends, what will you be wearing instead of floral midi from now on?

(Article for reference: amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/feb/10/john-lewis-declares-death-of-the-floral-midi-dress)

@FancyFanny as I said pumps not trainers, because she was a senior working royal. Some of us wore similar looks but with more relaxed footwear because we are not royal.
Who dresses as formally as Kate Middleton these days?
In the first dozen results for 'Fergie 1980s'

And what do you mean by "can I learn to read?' What have I not read?

@FancyFanny I said Fergie and Di wore white pumps in public and you asked me to post photos of them in trainers?

So by pumps you mean court shoes? How does that prove that the trainers look is not new- those shoes bear no resemblance to 'trainers' or even pumps in the sense of cotton lace up shoes like converse!

As for working girl, she wore her trainers with a pencil skirt and black tights on the commute to work- a popular concept back then to aid comfort and then switch to to formal footwear once in the office- not really related to the long flowing floral midi and trainers for casual wear.

And the 90s trainers for my lot were superstar shell-toe, gazelles and Stan Smiths - with your slip dress - maxi or mini - plain or print

I mean flatish, white shoes.
As the wives of the first and second in line to the throne they wore particularly conservative clothes. The rest of us were more relaxed and some of us wore trainers or plimsoles.

I am obviously too old to be able to remember what I wore in the 80s so just carry on.

Ohmygod I had that dress the women second in the video had on. Long diagonal panels of different floral patterns worn over a T-shirt.

That was so spooky!!!

And yes I lived in London 1988 to 1998.

In fact, footwear in the late eighties became so controversial between the generations that many editorials just went shoeless.

If you weren't flogging the shoes, they weren't there.

I did like the dress and trainer trend smart and so easy to do, and I have some lovely dresses that will still be worn .

As previous suggested I'm going wide legged linen trousers. Thinking about doing the full suit for these trousers. Blazer you could use for multiple outfits and waistcoat and blazer for smart occasions

www.meandem.com/panama-pinstripe-man-pant-cream-black

Yep, back to the original question.

I'll be wearing plain dresses below the knee and above the floor, or wide legged cropped trousers with Fitflops, walking boots or plimsoles. A pretty wide scope that a hundred women could wear and all look different.

Jackets will be cropped or linen shirtish or brushed cotton check or rain jacket because we have such wonderful weather.

I'm sticking with a midi and trainers :)

Thanks for asking an interesting and relevant question OP, but as usual a S&B thread high jacked by the wear what you want why be a slave to fashion posters or the overly sensitive poster who thing your taking a dig at their personal fashion sense,

Honestly most S&B threads are where fashion comes to die.

*Thanks for asking an interesting and relevant question OP, but as usual a S&B thread high jacked by the wear what you want why be a slave to fashion posters or the overly sensitive poster who thing your taking a dig at their personal fashion sense,

Honestly most S&B threads are where fashion comes to die.*

Yes! Thank you. Said it better than me .

Looking at Hush- which is mainly my go-to for what's slightly current for women of my age, it seems floral is still ok, but the cut is slightly straighter this season and maybe with a slit up the skirt, and trainers are leaning more retro- less chunky and maybe coloured rather than white. I might try reversing the trend- plain dress with patterned trainers!

Like this one in particular! https://www.hush-uk.com/ames-midi-dress-green/005475-2121.html

Adidas Gazelles appear to be back in style and one of the the latest trainers of choice alongside anything from new Balance

While trends come and go, to my eye it's clear that the midi dress and trainers combo is both comfortable and flattering to the widest range of women, hence its enduring charm. Not often fashion hits both buttons. If ever. It's also the reason it gets declared dead every so often because retailers have clothing to shift.

I don't wear it myself because of its ubiquity and the horribleness (is that a word?) of the fabrics that I've seen.

Now I think of it, and I've probably posted this before, but floral prints are great for hiding both sweat marks and lactation eruptions.

@magicthree

I agree. I was wearing white trainers with skirts/dresses many years ago.

As was I. But not a floral midi with white trainers. I'm talking about that specific combo.

A short dress isn't a midi and black converse isn't a white trainer.

Yes, but not the combination of a floral midi with a white trainer. That isn'y a classic look.

@Ooolaaaala

Because it wasn’t a ‘High St’ look at all - more pulled together from Portobello / Camden market.

Great. So you acknowledge that it wasn't commonplace or a classic look. Which I have been sating the whole time.

There is no floral modi with white trainers in your example.

And spit ups!

I think wide leg trousers or straight cut skirts, with t-shirts and Birkenstocks/colourful trainers (gazelles, vega etc) are the emerging replacement for the floral midi and white trainers.