So This Is the Biggest Maxi Dress Styling Mistake

Maxi dresses are one of those pieces that reemerge every summer without fail. As soon as the days start getting longer, so do the dresses—they will simply always be a thing. Despite this, it's not the easiest of dress styles to wear. Certain maxis are decidedly more flattering than others, and some pieces and shoe styles are decidedly more successful than others when paired with them.

Curious as to what the single biggest maxi dress styling mistake is, we reached out to someone who would definitely have an answer: Cristina Ehrlich, whose impressive client list includes Priyanka Chopra, Allison Williams, Anna Kendrick and Alison Brie. So what's Ehrlich's expert opinion on the subject of maxi dress styling? She told us, "The one thing most women overlook with maxi dressing is making sure they use the proper undergarments. The fit of the dress should still draw in the high waist, and a well-fit strapless bra is what makes the difference between a poor or perfect fit."

There you have it: Exposed bra straps and a maxi dress without a defined waist are apparently a recipe for sartorial disaster. So naturally, we did a little scouring to find the best strapless bras and the most stylish waist-defining maxi dresses on the market, along with our favourite recent street style examples of flawless maxi dress styling.

Keep scrolling to see and shop them all!

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(Image credit: Style du Monde )

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Style du Monde )

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

Shop Flattering Maxi Dresses:

Related: Summer Is Back! 16 Chic Dresses That You Can Wear Now And Well Into Autumn

Shop Strapless Bras:

Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.