The midi dress is one of those women’s dresses that just works, no matter the season. It’s the perfect length for spring and summer, as it allows ample air flow to your legs. It’s also a solid contender for autumn and winter wear, as it keeps your upper legs covered (the parts that need to stay the warmest) and leaves you feeling far warmer than you would feel in a short dress or mini dress. Midi dresses also come in a range of flattering styles, so adding some to your wardrobe is a win-win.
What is a midi dress?
Midi dresses are a dress with a hem that ends midway between your knees and ankles (usually mid-calf). Obviously there’s variation with this, as the same midi dress hem may land at different places, depending on your height.
When choosing a midi dress length, a common piece of advice is to avoid a hem that lands mid-calf, as this is the widest part of the calf, and therefore makes your legs look chunkier. The suggestion is to instead opt for a hem that lands slightly above or below the mid-calf point. However it depends on your legs, your choice of footwear, and on how much you care about rules!
You might be wondering how to style your midi dresses according to the season. Well, it’s pretty simple, as we’ll outline below.
Styling midi dresses for spring and summer
In the warm months, rocking a midi dress is easy as pie. You’ll find midi dresses in a range of lightweight fabrics, like linen, viscose, cotton, or a blend, that you can easily throw on and feel cool and comfortable in, with not much work involved. For example, if you’re heading out to an afternoon bbq, a print midi dress, such as a floral, boho, abstract or polka dot print midi dress will immediately draw eyes your way, and beyond adding some summer footwear and a bag, will require little in the way of styling.
Choosing a midi dress for spring and summer
When choosing a midi dress for an outing in spring or summer, you’ll obviously consider the formality of the occasion, and opt for a style and fabric that fits the event. Light-coloured or print midi dresses usually look best at day occasions, as they catch the light. For the evening, midi dresses in solid colours, or with luxurious fabric elements, like lace, broderie anglaise, velvet, sheer sleeves or hems, sequins, frills, puff or lantern sleeves, and so on, will look sufficiently special for a night outing. Also, when choosing a dress for an evening event, you might like to consider a figure-hugging midi dress, with a cut that accentuates your silhouette.
On a final note regarding choosing a midi dress, follow your instinct. It’s usually pretty obvious whether a dress is best suited for day or night wear, and of course, there are some midi dresses that work for all times of day.
One addition you might need to consider in spring and summer is some kind of outerwear for when the weather turns cool. A cardigan, like a linen cardigan, lace cardigan, or lightweight kimono, will all keep your shoulders warm over a midi. Alternatively, a light, fitted blazer or denim jacket will also work, especially for casual events.
Styling autumn and winter midi dresses
Autumn and winter midi dress styling is as simple as choosing the right dress for the occasion, and the right outerwear to keep you warm.
For starters, autumn and winter invite richer, deeper colours than spring and summer. So whether you choose a midi dress in a solid colour, or a print, think about the classic colours for the season. In autumn, it might be chocolate brown, burned orange, olive green, deep navy, or ivory. Print-wise, florals and botanical prints are still an option in autumn, provided they include autumnal colours, rather than spring pastels. (Animal prints also look great in autumn.)
In winter, you can go even more intense with colours, with emerald and forest green, deep burgundy, vibrant ruby red, royal blue, and of course, black.
Fabric-wise, rich, sumptuous fabrics don’t look out of place. Think satin wrap midi dresses, with a beautiful drape, or else lace, cocktail-style midi dresses.
Of course autumn and winter are also the perfect seasons to wear knit midi dresses, whether they be in figure-hugging bodycon or fit and flare styles. Knits are stretchy, so you stay comfortable, but more importantly, warm—essential for the chilly months!
And speaking of chilly, the right outerwear is essential in autumn and winter! Thankfully, there are coat and cardigan options that look perfect with dresses in midi length. For example, trench coats often have a hem that is approximately equal length to that of the midi dress, which creates a streamlined flow.
Wrap style coats also look great with midi dresses, as you aren’t losing the feminine shape of the midi dress. Similarly, fitted blazers that button up at the waist can work well with a midi dress. (Be wary of loose, boxy style blazers, as they can detract from the dress’s shape.
Coats in warm, cosy fabrics are appropriate for autumn and winter. So consider vegan leather or suede jackets, shawl collar coats, faux fur coats and jackets in animal print to wear with your midi dress.
Longline cardigans are also a fantastic option to wear with a midi dress, especially if you’re spending time indoors. Just remember, whether it’s a coat, blazer or cardigan, to make sure that the coat fabric doesn’t clash with the dress fabric. Also make sure the colours of the dress and the coat work well together.
Women’s Midi Dresses at Femme Connection
We have all the midi dresses you could hope for, and then some, in our midi dress collection. No matter the season, you’ll find a flattering dress you love.
Searching for other women’s clothes? Don’t forget to explore our tops, pants, and skirts in our broad women’s fashion collection.