Long dresses have a romantic and bon ton soul, regardless of the cut, color or fabric. Whether it’s a tight black stretch cotton dress or a profusion of lace and macramé with a wide skirt, the result remains the same: a very feminine look. With endless combination possibilities, long dresses can be worn with a thousand different accessories, playing on the contrasts between the high profile of a prêt-à-porter garment and the urban design of the sneakers, or on the combination of light and dark colors, of pastel and neon.
The brands themselves provide inspiration on how to create original looks: to relaunch the trend of long dresses with a romantic mood with vintage allure pallets and fabrics is LoveShackFancy, a New York brand founded by designer Rebecca Hessel Cohen, which offers soft silhouettes and lace works, details in hand-embroidered ribbons, and shades ranging from lavender to periwinkle, from peony to tuberous pink. The outfit is casual, with hair styled in long plaits in fishbone, straw bags and sneakers, better if Superga with laminated fabric or organza laces, and flower prints.
The sneakers are in fact the first accessories to make long dresses immediately aggressive and in pure street style, giving the outfit a more casual and trend-setter look.
Jacquemus is the mind behind the combo of long dresses and pumps: the close-fitting silhouette, with a focus on curves and on the waist and occasional waves of soft and fluttering fabric, in earthy colors like tangerine, mustard, sand and brick, is made even more sensual and chic by a shoe that highlights the leg, making it look longer and more toned.
Maria Grazia Chiuri wanted to pay tribute to the determination of the Mexican horsewomen, the escaramuza, with long dresses and crinolines in nude and delicate colors.
The refined femininity of these garments becomes gritty with the use of maxi belts, reminiscent of the Arabesque corset-belt by Azzedine Alaïa, in chromatic contrast with the dress that points the lens on the bust and divides the volumes of the dress into two: tight and embracing on the top, ample and rich below, for those who live the glamorous city between a garden party and rooftop aperitif evenings.
Finally, a game of color blocking and super-sophisticated textures is what Miuccia Prada has handed down to us with its F/W 2019 and Resort 2020 collections: long dresses as well as midi skirts with a pop print in fluorescent colors are combined with vinyl boots in cherry red or baby pink, while beige poudré silk approaches ankle boot with a sporty design in neutral colors. It is the combination of Milanese practicality, refined style and of absolute nonchalance in combinations.