One of the things we love most about midi dresses is their versatility. They can be worn in a range of settings, and at different occasions. That means you can rock a midi dress to a family lunch, cocktail party, and most usefully, to work! Midi dresses are great women’s dresses to wear to work, not only because they’re considered an ‘office appropriate’ length, but for extra reasons we’ll outline below.
In this article, we’re going to look at why midi dresses are so great, and which are the best midi dresses for women working in an office. Read on!
Why are midi dresses great for the office?
Here’s a list of the benefits of wearing midi dresses in the office.
They’re a modest length: While not all of us care about modesty, our workplaces likely do. This means we’re expected to wear a dress that isn’t too short, lest too much of our flesh is on show. (Workplaces tend to prefer that we save our skin for after hours, and wear something at least knee length.) The hem on a midi dress falls approximately between the knee and the ankle, so you’ve got no problems fitting in with work attire standards.
They won’t ride up: Many of us wouldn’t enjoy the feeling of the office chair against our bare flesh, but that’s a feeling we can experience when our skirt or dress is too short. It might look ok when we’re standing up, but as soon as you sit on your chair, your dress rides up and you have that uncomfortable chair surface against your skin. Worse still when it’s hot, and the chair gets sticky. Add to that, a knee length or higher dress can ride up when you're bending to open a drawer and so on. A midi dress, on the other hand, will give you no worries.
They have retro cred: Midi dresses are a classic stylish length, that reminds us of office styles of the 1950s and 1960s, where working women wore dresses knee-length or lower. It’s a retro length that was stylish in yesteryear, and is still on trend.
They can make for a shapely silhouette: The midi dress length gives a dress enough space to do all the wonders a good dress can do. If a midi dress is cinched in at the waist, it shows off your shape, whilst allowing ample room in the dress’s skirt to balance out the overall dress shape. In this sense, a midi dress can emulate the blouse and pencil skirt combination closer than any other dress style.
In saying that, midi dresses come in a range of designs and some don’t cinch at the waist at all. Rather, they have more of a loose fit. This style can also suit the office, however it’s a little more challenging to style.
They’re comfortable: A prime attribute of the midi dress is its comfort. Because there is such a broad range of midi dresses out there, you can find them in a range of soft fabrics that will keep you feeling good in the office. You can get lightweight and breathable linen, cotton and viscose midi dresses in loose styles that work well in spring and summer, as well as polyester and knit midi dresses, sometimes in body-hugging styles, that are perfect for autumn and winter.
Range of prints and colours: As midi dresses are so popular, you can easily get your hands on dresses in a variety of bold colours and eye-catching prints that bring a bit of fun and interest to your work outfit. You can also get solid-coloured dresses that fly under the radar a little more, yet still look stylish. In fact most often, for the office, you’ll probably opt for neutral tones, which is fine, as there are many midi dresses in navy, black, white, beige, grey and brown.
Top Midi Dress Styles for the Office
The Wrap Dress
Whether it’s an actual wrap dress, or a dress in a wrap style, the wrap midi dress works wonders in the office. For a start, actual wrap dresses (with a front closure, overlapping panels and a waist tie) are super adaptable, as you can tighten or loosen them, depending on how you feel on the day. Some wrap dresses have a tie at the front, some at the side, and others at the back, all of which can work for office dressing.
Due to the waist tie, you don’t have to worry about buttoning or zipping yourself into a dress in the morning. Instead, you just put the wrap dress over your shoulders, tie it up at the waist, and you’re done! You can also adjust the fit, depending on how loose or tight you want the dress to feel. With its V-neckline, you can wrap the dress a little tighter to cover the chest and be more modest, or else leave it a little loose. You can also easily wear a petticoat or camisole beneath a wrap dress if you’re worried about the V-neckline being too revealing in the workplace.
Finally on the wrap dress, as it ties at the waist, it creates a flattering silhouette, so it’s known to be a very stylish midi dress. And it’s so chic and comfortable, you can wear it out after your work day finishes!
Print Midi Dresses
Let’s face it, sometimes office attire can look a little ho-hum. That’s why it’s fun to bring some prints into your wardrobe, in the way of office-appropriate print midi dresses. Wearing a print midi dress can add a new dimension to your work outfit. It could be a feminine floral print, a bold abstract print, or a geometric print, but it will certainly create some interest in your ensemble, plus show off your personality. A colourful print dress in the workplace can also make other people feel more chipper!
Print midi dresses come in a range of designs and colours, so pick what colour schemes suit you, and also what will work well with outer layers like cardigans and blazers, (should the temperature call for it).
Shirt Midi Dress
Shirt dresses are a classic look for work, and commonly, many come in midi dress length. Like an actual shirt, shirt dresses feature a button-front closure, collared neckline, and usually cuffs. However, unlike a shirt, a shirt dress has the addition of the skirt, so in its entirety, combines the business vibe of the shirt up top with the more feminine silhouette of the dress at the bottom. Some shirt dresses also include a belt, and if they don’t, it’s a good idea to add one to accentuate the waist and make the dress a little less one-dimensional.
Knit Midi Dress
Whether you’re dressing for the colder months, or dressing for an airconditioned office, a knit dress in midi length is your friend. Knit dresses are available in a range of fabrics, with light knits available for warm weather, and more dense knits available for autumn and winter. Many styles are figure-hugging, but not all. A knit dress in midi length may have a pencil skirt that sticks close to the legs until the hem, or the dress may be a fit-and-flare style. Both can be comfortable options, depending on your preference, with fit-and-flare styles being the most easy to wear.
Knit dresses tend to have a bit of stretch in them, which is helpful when you’re sitting down at your desk. Just make sure that, when buying a knit midi dress, you don’t buy too small, as the dress will hug your frame quite firmly, so you might want a little more breathing space.
Single-Colour Midi Dress
Whether it’s a bright, bold coloured midi dress that makes a powerful statement, or a dress in a neutral tone, a single-colour dress is a must-have in your work wardrobe.
Single Colour: Wearing a single-colour dress in a bright colour can really bring your outfit alive. You might opt for a power-dressing red dress for a meeting, or opt for a bright yellow dress to keep things light and cheerful in a training session. Whatever colour you choose, it’s a conscious choice to wear a single colour dress to work, and you’ll feel the colour vibe all day.
Monochrome: If you’re wanting a streamlined look that’s stylish, you might opt for a single colour midi dress and combine it with outerwear in the same colour. The outerwear may be in different shades of that colour. For example, you might opt for a navy midi dress, and wear it with navy outerwear and accessories. Whichever is the case, choosing a monochrome palette for your outfit is an easy way to look polished and chic at work.
Neutral: Neutral tones always look right at home in the office. For example, you might wear a black midi dress with a camel coloured coat or wear a white midi dress with a navy-coloured knit cardigan. Neutral tones include navy, olive, brown, white, black, cream, grey, camel and beige.
You don’t need to take the monochrome route when putting together your outfit. You can mix a neutral coloured dress with bright-coloured outerwear, or vice versa, if you want to brighten up your neutrals.
Midi Dresses for the Office at Femme Connection
Looking for great midi dresses to wear to work? Go no further than Femme Connection’s midi dresses collection. Our range includes wrap dresses, print dresses, single-coloured dresses and more. We also have a range of midi dress styles that are perfect for afterhours and formal events in our cocktail dresses collection!
And for women’s clothes in general, make sure you peruse our entire collection! We don’t only stock midi dresses. We have short dresses, maxi dresses, party dresses, and a huge range of comfortable casual dresses for the weekends.