The Icons - Midi Dress

As we approach the second anniversary of the pandemic, we’ve tailored our lives and wardrobes to accommodate our new reality. Depending on what country you live in, masks have become an essential and sweats acceptable workplace attire (when your couch is your desk that is). With vaccines and boosters helping us to gain some sense of social normality, there is a building excitement about wearing non-athleisure again. Naturally, there will be some, the Carrie Bradshaws of this world, who will have felt so fashion-suppressed that they’ll show up to brunch in a gown. And then there will be those who have wholeheartedly committed to their hygge phase and refuse to go back to living in anything but soft loungewear and pajamas (think Diane Keaton from Something’s Gotta Give). Oscillating somewhere between these two extremes is where most people will find themselves this spring. The question is, how do we reconcile the urge to make a statement without sacrificing the level of comfort we’ve grown accustomed to? Cue the midi dress.

At first, I underestimated its versatility. I was of the mindset that midis were for women with a very particular style and height and, because neither of those qualities applied to me, they simply wouldn’t work. I believed dresses of this length only flattered if you were 10cm taller than average. They reminded me of vintage style afficionados – someone who idolized period pieces and Jackie Onassis. While Jackie O is an unchallenged style icon, that way of dressing wasn’t something that I identified with. I struggled with how to take a seemingly retro look and turn it into something fresh. Then divine intervention arrived: Miuccia gave us the Prada spring/summer 2011 collection. That season was brimming with bold colours, prints, and shapes filling a silhouette that I had previously deemed dowdy – it wasn’t a midi per se, more of a knee-length hemline, but it was the exact kind of splash that I needed to change my perspective entirely.

I spent years dreaming about that collection and, to be honest, I still do. On a fateful outlet shopping trip, I found the one – a pink, orange, and black striped runway dress (Prada look 19 to be specific), tucked between some discarded pieces – a true diamond in the rough. It wasn’t even a question of whether or not I should buy it. Even if I couldn’t technically afford it on my fashion assistant’s salary, I happily handed my credit card over to the cashier to swipe (I never have had much impulse control when it came to a good sale and a fashion fantasy). That dress, which fell to the knee of the 5’11” Prada catwalk model, reached my mid-calf. It became my gateway into the world of infinite possibilities of the midi.

Once I had that dress, a switch went on and I metaphorically saw the light. The midi dress seemed so adaptable, that I couldn’t believe I had struggled with it before. It’s the perfect solution to any wardrobe conundrum. Need an elevated, yet effortless outfit to wear to a wedding? The midi dress has your back. Need a look to make an impression and stand out at the office? The midi dress strikes again. Need something for a formal occasion that will make your ex rue the day you broke up? The midi dress has you there too. Once I owned one, I was intrinsically drawn to more. Designers like Dion Lee, Carolina Herrera and Helmut Lang, who run the gamut of designs, show how far it can reach from casual to avant-garde. Knit midi styles can be paired with knee-high boots and a jacket for an instantly chic, pared-down and everyday look. More formal takes need little more than a simple heel and a statement earring.

When it comes to style, all of us fall somewhere between Carrie Bradshaw-extravagance and Phoebe Philo-minimalism. The midi dress has you covered, wherever you land.