Dan is back and so excited to be here! She is wearing the Aria Black Cotton Broderie Tier Dress. If you want to talk about an amazing “coming into spring” dress - this one takes the cake! There are so many different elements to this dress that Dan loves.

First of all, the v-neckline. Dan being 5’2 and a size 8, lengthens her body and balances her out. Being an hourglass body shape, the underbust seam gives her some proportions as it gives balance and anchors her in; this would also look amazing if you’re a column or a pear shape. This is a great dress if you have a bigger bust because it’s quite deep through the chest. It has a great sleeve and the broderie anglaise shows some skin which gives it a beautiful tonal look; it’s lined through the front but it isn’t through the sleeves and at the hem which gives it a beautiful effect.

The length also works on Dan’s 5’2 frame: it hits just below her knees.

Dan pairs this dress with the Vida Black Espadrille Platform Sandal: a lot of women think that they can’t wear an ankle strap but, as you can see, because it sits a little bit higher on the leg and the strap at the toe is quite narrow through the front, it still gives elongation and doesn’t make her legs too short.

The Aria Dress can be layered if you’re in a colder climate; just add tights, a long sleeve, boots or a beautiful scarf. So yes, you can definitely wear it in spring and summer but you can start wearing it now.

You can also belt it over the underbust seam - it makes it look like a skirt and top and really brings you in at the waist. Because Dan is an hourglass, your eyes travel straight to that part of her body, which is fabulous, and it adds a little bit of volume to the bottom. You could wear this with a flat sandal, a trainer or dress it up for a wedding with a beautiful heel - it’s a great dress that can do so many things!

It’s a bit warm for our Scarf of the Day but Dan did showcase some fabulous accessories. If you’re someone that loves a beautiful statement piece, you’ll love the Ariza Wood and Stone Beaded Necklace. We also have the Marina Gold Pearl Chain Necklace which is a chunky necklace with a pearl drop in the middle; so gorgeous and you can wear it with jeans and a white shirt, with the Aria dress or even with your winter looks under a scarf - it’s just a little bit different.

Q: Could you recommend some tops that would go well with maxi skirts?

The Black Bamboo Maxi Tube Skirt suits nearly every body shape and height - it has a great wider waistband and some beautiful pintucks which gives it more space through the bottom and it also has a little split at the back.

You could just put on a basic top such as the Kindred White Knit Tank Top and add your statement necklace with your platforms and a denim jacket. You could achieve this same look with a beautiful white shirt that you tuck in at the front if you prefer something looser at the top and quite fitted through the bottom. And that’s what we want to do when we’re wearing a tube skirt or something long and maxi; you want your top to have some volume, it works really well.

Bailey Black Animal Front Tie Shirt: this is a button-up shirt, the sleeves have more fabric and sit at the elbow. It’s a black animal print top and it comes in 4 different prints and colours. You could do a half-tuck at the front or leave it out; this is a great shirt that would look amazing with a pair of Reed Black Stretch Cotton Pant or denim. What Dan loves about this top is that it has a drawstring tie, which means that you could tighten it to sit at your waist and give it more volume, which is beautiful.

We have some more button-up shirt styling ideas right here.

If you have a maxi skirt with lots of layers and volume like the Elaine Navy Silk Overlay Maxi Skirt, you will want to go for a fitted top because there’s already a lot going on - a loose top could overpower the outfit and you should let the skirt be the hero. Dan pairs this with a basic, like the Navy Maui Tee, that you could tuck in or, for a dressier look, the Talia Navy Silk Layer Top. You could also grab your white singlet and wear it under your white shirt, pull the collar up, undo a few of the buttons and tie it in a knot at the front - that would work really well.

When it comes to maxi skirts, it’s very important to get your volume right because if you don’t have an anchor point or something that brings you in it won’t give you shape and that is key.

Lana Navy Bamboo Maxi Skirt: this one has a beautiful wide waistband and, on Dan’s 5’2 frame, it’s just off the ground. So if you are a little bit taller you will still get great length. You could also fold over the waistband if you want it to be a tad shorter. Just pop on a good basic like your Navy Maui Tee or something more fitted like your Kindred White Knit Tank Top with your Marina Gold Pearl Chain Necklace.

The takeaway? When we’re wearing a maxi skirt we want to balance out our torso with our legs, so we need to have something that brings us in.

Q: 5’0 - I would love to see some more styles and dresses that suit short girls.

You’re in luck, our stylist Dan is on the shorter side at 5’2. If you’re someone who is around the 5’0 mark, you need to make sure that you show some skin and have some shape in what you’re wearing.

Oslo Teal Floral V Neck Dress: this is a great pick as you’re showing some skin at the neck and you have some waist definition as well. There is some great detailing on this dress and it hits right below the knee, which is perfect. You could bring in a beautiful longline pendant necklace like the Jelena White Beaded Circle Necklace or our necklace of the day, the Marina Gold Pearl Chain Necklace.

Myra Chambray Button Down Dress: this is another fabulous shape as we have our v-neck, you could even bring it a little bit lower by undoing a few buttons. It has a curved seam at the waist which does come lower through the back and, on Dan who is 5’2, the dress hits right at the knee. It’s a chambray sort of material and it feels extremely soft on the skin. You have some buttons on the sleeves so you can roll them up, which gives you more length. Showing skin is key! It balances us out and elongates our body.

Holiday Green Floral Ruffle Dress: this one is a beautiful emerald green with some stunning blue and orange tones and, surprise, the print changes at the bottom! Dan loves mixing prints; if you’re scared of doing this, this dress will give you a bit of a taste without going over the top. We have a nice round neckline and we have slight ruffle sleeves and it’s not too long.

Q: How do ladies with larger busts wear belts?

A thinner belt worn at the waist is generally better than a wider belt when you have a bigger bust as it gives you shape and streamlines your waist rather than add thickness in that area.

When you have a bigger bust and want to wear a belt, it’s important to make sure that you’re wearing a great bra because if your bust is being lifted properly you’re going to get more waist definition. If your bust is sitting low you’re losing out on this waist definition as we can’t see it, so it’s very important to get fitted correctly so that your bust is lifted and shows your belt, which should sit at the narrowest part of your waist, approximately 2 inches above your hip bone.

Don’t forget to check out the garment measurements on each product page: you will be able to make sure that there is enough fabric from the shoulder seam to the waist to fit you perfectly through the bust. If you’re someone that prefers a sleeve, measure yourself and estimate how much coverage you’re going to get. Same goes with the length.

Q: I’m having problems finding nice black work pants that don’t give a muffin top and are not too tight at the ankle - any suggestions?

If you don’t want a muffin top, wearing a pant that sits a little bit higher is really important as it skims off the waist and doesn’t create a muffin top.

Another important thing is to consider where your underwear is sitting. When it comes to underwear, Dan is a huge believer in a) going up a size so it doesn’t cut you off around the waist and across the bottom, which is not very flattering, and b) going for a style that comes up a little bit higher - you don’t necessarily need to go with something that is super high-waisted and comes up all the way to your belly button (but you can) but you want something seamless, that isn’t going to cut you in and that sits a little bit higher because that’s going to eliminate your muffin top.

Dan loves the Reed Pant which would be great as a work pant, as it’s a straight leg without being too skinny. It hits at the waist, it’s flat, has some wonderful stretch, doesn't taper in at the leg and isn't too skinny at the bottom.

 If you’re needing them for work, it’s great to get a pair that you can also dress down for the weekend as well so it ends up being a pant that you can double as so many things. Because there are a lot of really great black pants like the Paige Black Wide Leg Pant or the Shannon Black Wide Leg Pant that you could wear casually but also dress up, which means that you’re getting mileage out of your wardrobe which we all aim to do!

Q: I would love a few tops that work well with flowy pants

All the tops that we mentioned when we looked at the flowy maxi skirt would work.

If you are wearing something that has quite a bit of volume through the bottom you will want to wear something at the top that is a little bit more fitted. It doesn’t have to be skin-tight but it will help bring balance to your silhouette.

The Alana Black Heart Linen Blend Top is not fitted but it still goes straight up and down and doesn’t have heaps of volume. Once you put that on it balances things out a little bit. If you wanted to wear something a little bit more fitted, you can do that as well with your Kindred White Knit Tank Top.

A white button-up shirt would look amazing with flowy pants as it has a little bit more structure.