Your summer dress is ageing you – but there’s an easy fix. This is the PRECISE length that’s most flattering over 50 – and the pattern you MUST avoid unless you want to look frumpy: SHANE WATSON
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This is a public information announcement for women who want to look good – and stay cool – on warmer days: with the mercury rising again this week, please consider a maxi.
Maxis? As in long floaty or tenty dresses? It’s true, a maxi sounds like the last thing a 50-plus woman needs: too voluminous and shapeless (because a waisted maxi is an evening dress); too many Seventies associations; too summer of love; too youthful.
You’re probably thinking ‘I’d look like Demis Roussos, or an ancient bridesmaid’, and both these things are entirely possible, especially if you’re old enough to remember your first long dress (Laura Ashley, purple and white berry print, with tiers and lace inserts).
But cast all that aside. These are different maxi times. Yes there are plenty of Seventies-channelling boho maxis around for summer, but there’s also a whole new, rich seam of modern, adult-and-female-friendly maxis – most of which are actually ankle-skimming. This new look maxi is elegant, sophisticated, modern and… very Gillian Anderson.
You may have seen the 57 year old actress (recently ambassador for Marks & Spencer’s Love That campaign) in Cannes wearing a long, lean, sleeveless, white with black piping, fit-and-flare maxi dress in creaseless linen.
Note, no tiers, no volume, no balloon sleeves or Indian block print or Pucci patterns involved. Not so much as a whiff of hippy chick, a trace of lady ambassadress with an Elnett-starched updo, or a hint of portly tenor – just chic and everyday appropriate.
And the length is absolutely what makes this dress: twice as elegant as a mid-calf dress, twice as smart, twice as stylish (you wouldn’t clock this dress if it was shorter).
The fact that this year’s maxi is a fraction shorter (ankle-skimming) is a big part of what stops it from looking bridal or ballroom and your on-display shoes are also part of what keeps the look from slipping into dowdy or retro, not to mention ‘evening occasion’ territory.
Anderson wore her maxi with high Aquazzura slingback heels, but it was Cannes. A low-to-mid-heel ankle strap slingback works as well for civilians. Flat blunt-toed pumps, or leather thongs with a heel, are another good accompaniment to ankle-grazing hemlines.
The sleevelessness of this style will not suit everyone and neither will the price (£250, meandem.com) but it’s a great example of what a maxi can do for you now. Also worth noting: the majority of Me+Em’s dresses this season are this new length (and this is a brand that knows what grown-up women want). Although it’s on the pricier side, this is where you’ll find the best selection.
With a maxi at this time of life I would avoid floral prints, short puff sleeves (elbow length are fine), tiers for the most part (one is fine if a dress is plain) and anything slip style in slippery fabric (dated as well as unflattering).
Boden’s olive green soft stripe linen shirtwaister (£119.20, boden.com) is a little fuller in the skirt, but still easy and cool looking. You’d also get plenty of wear out of Chinti & Parker for M&S’s light blue, belted, maxi shirt dress (£175, marksandspencer.com). It’s fresh and not floaty.
The other maxi I swear by in hotter temperatures, when I want as much air circulation as possible, is the ‘fit and a bit more flared’ look.
Albaray’s pale striped linen dress with blouson sleeves, a dropped empire line front with a V-neck and an elasticated back (£70, albaray.co.uk) is just airy enough without going to the Roussos side.
For a slightly more fitted option, Me+Em’s twist-front maxi dress in poppy red cheesecloth is also super versatile, and it’s on-the-pulse red (£175, meandem.com).
Hush’s linen blend V-neck maxi (the V is what stops more voluminous styles looking swamping) is another really useful hot weather dress (£93, hush-uk.com).
The other option is a maxi skirt. I love them; they can look very elegant and though the last thing you want in the heat is a fitted waistband, a gently elasticated one is always bearable.
M&S does a good fuller black cotton maxi skirt to wear with a three-quarter sleeve top in matching black (£36, marksandspencer.com). Don’t forget your bold coloured earrings or a cardigan slung around your neck or waist to break up the black. Arket does something similar but a fraction shorter.
Black or dark blue are a safe bet for day and night – but don’t save your dress or skirt for evening – that’s not what these maxis are about.
