Please excuse me while I have a tall moment. The tall moments are few and far between for me, so when you’re feeling even four inches higher, you have to celebrate it. Now, back to topic. The other week when I posted about this Pink Blush maxi dress, that I fell in love with, I expressed my struggle with maxi dresses. Being 4’10”, finding a maxi dress right off the shelf is a struggle, so I tend to stay away from them. Hemming is always an option, but it can be a pain to have to take an extra step just to wear something. However, I was left with some very wise tips in the comments of that post, that I felt it needed its own post. So thank you, to my fellow blog friends and readers; here are shortcuts and buying tips for wearing a maxi when you’re petite.
Affiliate links are included in this post, thank you for supporting Pumps & Push-Ups!
How To Wear a Maxi Dress When You’re Petite
So, first, I’ll talk about the dress I’m wearing. It’s the navy version of this dress that I loved so much! I had that dress hemmed for the post. You want to know something tragic? I washed it and it shrunk. ahhhh! I mean, I literally paid $35 for that hem and now the dress is an awkward ankle length. Now, ankle length maxi dresses are a thing, so I’m thinking I can still pull it off, but ugh! So, if you get this maxi dress, don’t hem it first! Wash it first, then hem. This time around I was wise and did not have the dress hemmed, instead I found the tallest shoes in my closet, my Marc Fisher wedges and went about my day. Which leads me to tip #1 –
Wear Tall Shoes
I know what you’re thinking, duh. Not a groundbreaking tip, but a practical one. First thing I did when this maxi came in the mail was try on every pair of shoes I own with it to see which one just might give me enough height to wear it without hemming. The Marc Fisher wedges did the trick. The dress could still come up an inch, but man it makes me look tall! I was like, “Steven, do you see how tall I am in these pictures?!” He wasn’t nearly as excited as me. Don’t forget my next tip before hemming…
Wash It First
Even clothes that say they can be hand washed have shrunk up on me. Don’t spend the money on hemming, without first seeing if the dress will shrink at all. It’s painful when you make that mistake like I did. Once you wash it, yes you can have it hemmed, which is an obvious solution.
You Could Always Lazy Hem Too
Have you ever heard of iron on hem tape? I used to use it all the time to make little crafty things like sashes for my friend’s birthdays. Full disclosure, I’ve never actually used it to hem, because I’m scurrd. However, it is really easy to use, so I think it could be an easy to use solution for hemming. You fold the fabric, place the tape in the fold and iron. It works! I mean I could also just learn to sew…I totally wish I had that skill!
At this point you may be like, this isn’t helping me one bit…so let’s get practical…
Where to Buy Maxi Dresses When You’re Petite
When you don’t feel like putting in extra work just to wear something, you can buy a dress that works for your little self, straight from the store. My absolute favorite places to buy petite maxi dresses are:
Banana Republic, LOFT and J.Crew. I’m so thankful for their petites, most of my wardrobe comes from those three brands for the simple fact that they actually fit me.
On my last post about maxi dresses, Nikki of The Fashionable Wife mentioned that she will buy mid calf length maxi dresses and they fit perfect on her! Girl you are genius! I will also sometimes dabble in the kid’s department to see if I can find a good fit. Kid’s clothing is always hit or miss for me. Yes, I’m short, but girls don’t always have the hips of a grown woman, so that doesn’t always work!
There is just something about a maxi dress that immediately makes you look put together. I get the most compliments when I wear a maxi dress, yet I feel like I’m wearing pajamas. That’s a win for me! So, the hunt or the extra work for a maxi is always worth it! (p.s. – I totally plan to hem this dress after washing it! I want it to be even more comfortable with flat shoes!)
Do you have any more tips for wearing a maxi, or a favorite place to find petite maxi dresses? Share them with me!
-Brooke
Now, let’s…get…linking!!
NEW! I’ve started a collaborative Pinterest board for the Oh, Hey Girl! Link-Up. I would love for you to join and share your looks there too! Just send me a message on Pinterest or at [email protected] if you would like to be added.
Link up any post you would like to show off; your outfit, home decor, recipe, workout. Anything at all! Because, oh, hey girl! I want to see it!
Link-Up ‘Rules’
1. Follow me on Bloglovin or Instagram
2. Link back to my site from your post, you can grab a button if you like!
See who I link with here! (p.s. – if you have a new link up on your blog, leave it in the comments, so I can add to this list!)
