Caught in the MIDI

• Fashion

After my career focussed post here, it was time to return to what I love best, shopping! I had given the shops a bit of a wide berth (for all of 2 weeks, felt like an eternity!) when my first freelance pay seemed to come though all at once, so it was off to shop for a girls night out. I had an outfit planned already but it just wasn't right, I wanted something new, fresh and different.
I am usually a girl to get my legs out for evening (top half covered demurely of course, no rule breaking here!) and as I have short legs, above the knee length makes my legs appear longer, but its a look I have done to death.

So what can the anti to this be? The midi dress of course. My younger sister wore one from Boohoo
and it looked great but she is about a foot taller than me, so I was a bit unsure. Not one to be dissuaded, I thought I'd give it a try.

Dress 1 - Midi of the road

This Topshop one caught my eye, great pattern and very now but when I tried it on the material was reminiscent of a sausage skin! Not very flattering and the print, which I thought would give a slimming illusion, only enhanced my thighs in all the wrong places! I'm sure if you were less curvy it would look great, (like it you were a pencil shape!)

Dress 2 - Mighty Midi

Next I went to New Look and armed with six, yes six midi dresses, I went to the changing room and found success with two! The first was this stripey black and white with long sleeves, very now in print and colour and the length was great, looking demure and ladylike but fun and sexy with the cut and stripes. A winner for me. Perfect office to bar, looks good with black tights now and bare legs when it warms up. (See my Spring-spiration post for more monochrome and stripes)

Dress 3 -  Midi for me

The next dress was sleeveless and has a aztec print (hello world traveler trend!) and being black is super slimming! I did get the next size up (as all that was available in black, it comes in blue too) but ended up being a nice fit and the material, although only jersey, skimmed rather than stuck to me. I felt a bit Kim Kardashian-esque! Plus the shape was a nod to the 90s I thought (take it from someone who was there wearing it back in the day, although only a schoolgirl I hasten to add!)

Back out in the shop my inner magpie came out and I purchased some accessories to go with. I wanted to style it with royal blue stilettos so got a bag to match and the jewellery was BOGOF, so rude not to get necklace and bangles! (they aren't online but available in store). The accessories will also go with the stripey dress, so you're getting two looks for one.

I could have overdone the blue but as the accessories were mixed with gold and worn far apart on the body, felt I got away with it and tied the look together. I think the necklace looks a bit tribal but glam so  it went with the dress and bracelets well. I wore the sleeveless midi for my night out see here on WIWT but i'm keeping the stripy too, I reckon I'll get lots of wear out of it before spring.

I think the sleeveless dress could also be styled more casually for summer (below) thinking gold flat sandals, or splash of neon, lots of options so for £14.99 its a steal!