Where have you been all my life?!

I’m wearing this maxi dress from Ann Taylor today, and it’s the first time I’ve ever worn a maxi dress. True story. And I’m wondering why the hell I waited this long to buy one.

(Image courtesy of Ann Taylor)

Why am I so in love with this thing? Well, if you’re in the market for one of your own, it has everything you should look for in a maxi dress:
  1. Comfortable material — this is a really soft, lightweight jersey knit, which really should be the official fabric of summer.
  2. Accented waist — the tie belt at the waist keeps it from looking like a giant circus tent.
  3. Moderate coverage up top — this is what makes it office appropriate for me. Granted, I threw a short sleeved cardigan on over this to combat the office air conditioning, but you’ll notice it’s not low cut at all. 
  4. Ability to be dressed up or down — in addition to throwing a cardigan on over it for the office, I’ve also paired it with a dressy statement necklace. But I could just as easily wear this on the weekend with flat sandals and more funky jewelry.
  5. Simple design — this one is pretty simple as maxi dresses go. It’s in classic colors with a colorblocked hem. That means it won’t go out of style or look dated as quickly, giving me more mileage out of it. 

The verdict: I love this damn thing. I’m officially going to be living in maxi dresses all summer long.