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Summer to Fall Fashion: My Favorite Thing to Wear

Summer to Fall Maxi Dresses

Dress — Gap. Necklace — Francesca’s Collections. Bracelet — Francesca’s Collections.

I am so in love with maxi dresses. I have seriously lived in them this summer! They’re perfect for all seasons — especially spring and fall when the weather is unpredictable and it can be hard to figure out what to wear and stay comfortable! But with a simple scarf or cardigan, maxi dresses effortlessly transform from light and breezy in the summer sun to warm and snuggly for crisp fall nights.

Know you’re going to be outside all day, walking around in the heat? A light, breezy sleeveless dress is just what you want to stay cool! Going to dinner in a chilly restaurant at night? Throw on a cozy cardigan for an extra layer of warmth.

And oh my gosh, they’re so super comfy! It’s basically like wearing PJs all day. But you look cute and dressed up. Yay!

And that’s another thing I love — how versatile they are. You can wear them anywhere. They can be dressed up or dressed down. They are perfect for just about every occasion. And they’re comfy! And cute. Did I say that already?

Summer to Fall Maxi Dresses

Dress — Gap. Sleeveless Cardigan — Maurices. Bracelet — Anthropologie. Earrings — Ann Taylor LOFT.

Dresses with wider straps are great, so I can still wear my favorite all-day comfy bra (oh my gosh, I can’t believe I just said bra. On the internet. I’m sorry), but if a dress has teeny spaghetti straps, I’ll add a light, sleeveless cardigan to hide the straps. Because there is not a strapless bra on the planet that is comfortable. True story.

Photo Posing tip: If you’ve got a free arm dangling (like my right arm in these photos) pull your elbow back and tuck it behind your waist. You’ll instantly look slimmer. You will see me posed like this in every single photo I take! *blush*

Summer to Fall Maxi Dresses

Dress — Anthropologie. Cardigan — Ann Taylor LOFT. Bracelet — Francesca’s Collections. Earrings — Ann Taylor Loft. Shoes — Sanuk Yoga Mat Flip Flops.

This is pretty much my uniform for traveling. It’s light and airy, so I don’t have to worry about things getting bunchy and uncomfortable if I’m sitting for a long time. And the light cardigan is perfect for when I have to be on an airplane — which can sometimes get chilly — or unbearably hot if you get stuck sitting on the tarmac!

And I love that I can wear my comfy flip flops in ’em — which is also an added bonus for airplane travel! I know I’ll be comfortable and ready for whatever the day brings, whether it’s lots of sitting or lots of walking, blazing sun or full-blast air-conditioning.

And I think I’ve said “comfy” one too many times in this post. I may have a problem. ;)

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44 Responses
  1. Beth

    I love maxi dresses and skirts. So comfy and perfect for hot summer days. I wear my sandals with them but I will never wear flip flops again. They are dangerous especially in the rain. I was wearing flip flops and carrying my 3 year old daughter (she was not heavy).

    It was raining and I started sliding like crazy because the bottom of my flip flops were covered by the rain. To keep her safe, I knew I couldn’t fall. I pulled, twisted, and regained my balance. In the process, I ended up with pretty bad Whiplash. And my lower back was bothering me. Long story but one day, I felt something pop and I couldn’t sit down. Ended up needing a two level fusion. The Dr didn’t do a good job; I’ve been in horrible pain since then. Surgery was January 2009.

    Never wear flip flops in the rain.

    Beautiful dress!!!

  2. Back For Seconds

    I LIVE in dresses! These are all so pretty and you look fabulous in all of them! I love that dresses are so comfy (like you said) but you instantly look graceful and feminine in them.
    I love a good fashion post, thanks for sharing, Amanda!

  3. Victoria Miller

    Love this post Amanda! Have you ever thought of doing What I wear Wensday Post? I love to see your outfits, they are alwasy so darn cute.

  4. Lori

    I said the comment to someone at work today that maxi dresses are like wearing PJs. LOL. They are DEFINITELY so comfy. LOVE them!

  5. Hope@Fairhope Supply Co.

    I just found your blog, and must say you are a busy couple! Love it! I’m a new blogger, so I’ll be back to visit more. You are very inspiring!

    You look really cute in the maxi dresses too!

  6. Jennifer

    Thanks for the awesome post on your cute dresses! While I love all the food and travel pics I have been missing your thoughts on fashion, great products, and crafts. What I’d love to see is an update on your current favorite iPhone apps.

  7. Deliciously Organic

    So, so cute!! I still haven’t bought a maxi dress, but this post changed my mind! I love the Anthropologie dress!

  8. carrian

    I love everything!! I’m a huge fan of maxi dresses and the stripe thing is only true if you’re trying to hide your body. You’re darling, totally don’t hide anything!

  9. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    So cute! I have the shortest legs, so I’m always afraid to try maxi dresses. And I love that you pose the same way I do!

  10. Alejandra

    SO with you on the maxi dress love! I’m wearing one today. I also like that when they’re long and almost touch the floor they make you seem taller and slimmer. Bonus! I wear mine for traveling all the time. You can almost curl up into them and make like a little maxi dress sleeping bag. So soft and comfy!

  11. Aimee @ ShugarySweets

    Oh my those dresses are too cute on you! You pull them off so well, like they were made. For you. Love the trick with the arm in photos, totally going to try that!

  12. marla

    Oh Amanda!! You look so beautiful in these stripy dresses. Thanks for teaching us “the pose” and for being such a great role model :) XO

  13. Jenny Flake

    I seriously can’t wait to go cute clothes shopping again soon!! Sorry for my snippy response to one of your readers, lol!! I love all of these! xoxox

  14. Heather Christo

    Super cute dresses Amanda! This style looks great on you. I always want to wear them, but I am so tall, I get a lot of ankle/lower calf action (awkward) I have to expand my search! Thanks for reminding me how great they would be for travel too!

  15. Sarah

    Yes!! I love Maxi dresses too!! So easy and I just add some pretty dangly jewelry to make me look pulled together even if I only took 15 minutes to get ready. I also love the sleeveless cardigan, I have one but hadn’t thought to wear it over a maxi. Yay for new uses for old clothes!

  16. Lois

    I am SO HAPPY to see you posting again about things like food, clothing, your favorite things, etc!! While I have enjoyed your travel posts, my very most favorite are the ‘normal’ posts like this one. I have been really missing them! They are what make you so real. Thanks for some more glimpses into your life.

  17. Carla @ Carlas Confections

    I love the maxi dresses on you! You are so adorable!!!! I cant wait to get to the gap and anthropologie to get some more :) And the sanuk yoga mats are the BEST! I have the pink and blue pair. I want more ;) Thanks for sharing all the fun tips!!!

  18. Jamee @ A New Kind of Normal

    Amanda you look fantastic! I had to have major abdominal surgery this summer and still have issues wearing pants with a waistband so maxi dresses have been a summer staple! I’m not as tall as you so thankfully I’ve found a good tailor :) I’ve been on the search for a great bra so I’m going to have to check out this one you’ve mentioned! And you are right – there is so such thing as a comfortable strapless bra!

  19. TidyMom

    I LOVE your maxis Amanda!! being a girl who is vertically challenged, I don’t have the pleasure of wearing them as often, since they are so much harder to find in shorter lengths – but I have some shorter dresses that I LOVE to wear in spring thru fall and just add boots, sweater and scarf – or flip flops and light sweater in summer!

  20. The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

    Gorgeous dresses! I love the way you can dress them up or down. I wore a few in Hawaii and I loved the lazy feel but the lovely look. :-)

    1. Nicole

      Total myth. I love horizontal stripes! Several of my favorite shirts and dresses are striped, and I’m not a skinny by any means. I feel good when I look good, and honey, I look Great in stripes!

  21. Kerry

    I sat down to WORK, good that I am not AT work… and got completely sidetracked when I saw your “favorite thing to wear”. Now I am not normally the kind of person that sees a trend or something on a best friend and runs straight to the store to BUY… and yet, I currently have the GAP window open as I type, because I have yet to see such cute Maxies! You look stunning in them… THANKS so much for posting!!!! Oh oh… and one more thing! When you were in Berlin and did your post about the sweet treats there — GREAT JOB!!!!!! We are still in Germany, but have moved from Berlin to right outside Stuttgart with a potential move to Munich on the horizon. But while we were in Berlin I fell in LOVE with the giant Belgium waffles lathered in ice cream/cream/and drizzle… in fact we celebrated my daughter’s birthday there! If you EVER get back… there is a Turkish bakery in Kreuzberg that is literally to DIE for if you want to spotlight “Baklava”! Mmmmmmm…

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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