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How To Wear A Blazer With A Maxi Dress

How to wear a blazer with a maxi dress?
blazer: Sanctuary, dress: Farm Rio (available preowned here & here), sandals: FitFlop, necklace: Monica Vinader, earrings: Sachelle Collective (Use VANESSA15 for 15% off your order).

Selecting the correct outerwear for an outfit can be the hardest part of styling oneself. Within this already difficult task, selecting outerwear for a maxi dress is the ultimate challenge.

Best Outerwear For A Maxi Dress

Yes, a denim jacket, cardigan, and shawl all look good with a maxi dress. A shawl — aka a rectangular scarf  —is particularly timeless, but not especially warm, so my favorite outerwear for a maxi dress is a blazer. The structure of a blazer is a delicious juxtaposition to the flowiness and femininity of a maxi dress.

When To Wear A Blazer With A Maxi Dress

A blazer over a maxi dress is an on-trend, stylish look for brunch, parties, and even work, especially if you work from home, which most of us do these days, at least sometimes. A blazer over a maxi dress is one of my favorite Zoom call looks because there is minimal thought to the outfit with only two pieces to consider — but a blazer always looks sharp. You can also wear a blazer with a maxi dress at a wedding. More on that below.

What Jacket To Wear With A Maxi Dress For A Wedding

It doesn’t matter if you are a guest wearing a maxi dress, a bridesmaid wearing a maxi dress, or even the bride, a well-designed cropped blazer is the best jacket to wear with a maxi dress for a wedding if you actually want to wear outerwear, versus a shawl or the sometimes overzealous fur stole. Not that I would poo-poo a fur stole, it just doesn’t make sense sometimes, both weatherwise and style-wise. Just make sure the blazer you choose for a wedding does not look professional whatsoever. It should be in a soft or silky fabric with unique details.

How To Wear A Blazer With A Maxi Dress

First and foremost, the key to wearing a blazer with a maxi dress is the blazer itself. Almost any maxi dress will work, but the blazer must be perfect. The number one issue when pairing a blazer with a maxi dress is boxiness. You cannot wear a boxy blazer with a maxi dress if you want a slimming silhouette, especially if you’re short. There are exceptions, of course. Here are the few times you can wear a boxy blazer with a maxi:

  1. The boxy blazer is cropped and and the maxi dress has a fitted waist.
  2. You are tall and thin.
  3. The maxi dress is a bodycon dress (aka tight all the way down).

Exceptions aside, the best blazers for a maxi dress nip in at the waist. The hem length of your blazer is also a factor. Shorter is more flattering, but the longer blazers are more fashion-forward. To rock a longer blazer with a maxi dress, it must be of a similar material as your maxi dress so they move together beautifully. You will also want to push your sleeves up if you wear a long blazer with a maxi dress. I use nylon hair ties to keep my sleeves up.

Confused? Just scroll down for my favorite ways to pair a blazer with a maxi dress.

Best Shoes For A Blazer Maxi Dress Look

A blazer can say work, and the maxi dress says play, so the shoe choice can be confusing. Let’s cut to the chase. Definitely skip the work vibe. Do not wear pumps or work flats with this look. Instead, go for sandals, chunky heels, or a pointed-toe bootie. The shoe choice depends of course on the actual maxi dress and blazer you end up wearing. You can see how I paired booties with a maxi dress in my blog post The Long Sleeve Maxi Dress.

how to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: Avec Les Filles, dress: Farm Rio (also available here and here), bootie: Marc Fisher (also available here)
how to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: 1.STATE (also available here), dress: rag & bone (also available here and here), booties: Marc Fisher LTD, ivory and black
maxi dress and blazer outfit
blazer: Veronica Beard (similar here, here, & here); dress: Karen Kane (similar options here); booties: Nine West (similar here)
blazer with maxi dress
blazer: Avec Les Filles, dress: MELLODAY, booties: Marc Fisher LTD, ivory and black
maxi dress with blazer
blazer: Saint Laurent (similar here & here), dress: Karen Kane (similar here), shoes: Eileen Fisher (pair with black booties in fall/winter)
blazer with formal maxi dress
blazer: L’Agence (similar here, here, & here), dress: L’Agence (also available here), shoes: Nina
blazer to wear with maxi dress
blazer: Avec Les Filles, dress: Ulla Johnson, bootie: Marc Fisher (also available here)
How To Wear a Blazer With A Maxi Dress
blazer: L’Agence (similar here & here), dress: Charles Henry (similar here), booties: Nine West (similar here)
blazer with maxi dress
blazer: Vince Camuto, dress: Halogen (similar here), booties: Linea Paolo (similar here)
what jacket to wear with a maxi dress
blazer: Quince, dress: WAYF (similar option here, here, & here), shoes: J.Crew (similar here)  
how to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: Theory, dress: Diane von Furstenberg, sandals: Marc Fisher LTD (also available herehere)

 

blazer with maxi dress
jacket: Veronica Beard (similar here), dress: Nordstrom, sandals: patricia green
how to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: Madewell (similar here), dress: Free People, shoes: Papillo
blazer to wear with maxi dress
blazer: Show Me Your Mumu (similar here), dress: Petal & Pup (also available here), sandals: Marc Fisher (also available here, here, and here)
blazer with maxi dress
blazer: Steve Madden (similar here), dress: Lovers and Friends, shoes: Billini (similar here and here)
when to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: Nili Lotan (try this), dress: AllSaints (similar here and here), sandals: TKEES (also available here)   
when to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
blazer: Veronica Beard (similar here and here), dress: Rosetta Getty (similar here and here), sandals: TKEES (also available here)    

Blazer And Maxi Dress Outfits From Years Past

I originally wrote this post on how to wear a blazer with a maxi dress years ago and update it regularly due to its popularity. I’ve left these photos of maxi dress and blazer outfits below for nostalgic purposes. Whenever I update older posts, I love to hold on to a collection of images as a bit of a time capsule so we can watch how our style evolves.

maxi dress with blazer
blazer: A.L.C, dress: Farm Rio, shoes: Dolce Vita
maxi dress and blazer
blazer: BB Dakota,  dress: Bobeau, sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals  
maxi dress and blazer outfit
blazer: Rachel Comey, dress: Ramy Brook, sandals: Marc Fisher
HOw to wear a blazer with a maxi dress
Felicity & Coco

blazer-with-maxi-dress

blazer with maxi dress

Olivia Moon

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