Wearing a voluminous dress is an easy way to make a statement with your outfit with just one piece. Voluminous dresses are surprisingly versatile, moving easily from day to night and from work to weekend. With the right layers and styling tricks, these comfortable and elegant dresses will become a staple of your year-round wardrobe, especially in easy-to-wash 100% cotton. Find out our favorite and unexpected ways to wear voluminous dresses for the colder weather now and for warmer months ahead this summer.
PAIR WITH SNEAKERS
A full dress looks great with your favorite flat sandals or high heels, but if you are worried that a sneaker might feel too casual, don’t be! Whether or not you believe in Merlette muse Allison Bornstein’s theory on the “wrong shoe,” trying your favorite sneaker with a feminine, voluminous dress gives it a sporty and playful edge that we love for occasions from brunch to travel days out.
PUT A BELT ON IT
Merlette created belts for this very reason. We love seeing one of our voluminous dresses, that might otherwise have a trapeze or A-line silhouette, changed into a fit-and-flare by the addition of a gorgeous belt at the waistline. You can even try it slung lower on the hips to give your dress a drop waist effect. Merlette’s belts are all designed to go with our current collection and are handmade by artisans in India, in keeping with our focus on ethical manufacturing.
SLIP ON OVER PANTS
It’s no secret that we love wide-leg, cropped pants and culottes here at Merlette. Our shortest dresses, like our iconic SOLIMAN, work beautifully as long tunic paired with our pants. If you are worried about having too much volume in your look, you can try a slimmer leg pant or a legging (see below). The trend of dresses over pants is definitely hot for 2024, and this is a simple and comfortable way to wear the look.
We offer self belts, meaning a belt made of the same fabric as our dresses, with many of our voluminous styles. This offers total versatility to the wearer, whether you want to tie your dress tightly for a focus on the waistline or keep the sash low and loose for a more relaxed shape. The belt can be tied in the front or the back, made into a bow or kept as a knot with flowing ends. We love how elegant this look can be.
