One of the greatest blessings of my mommy makeover, style wise, is a short-sleeve button-down maxi/midi dress. We were in Colombia (remember I had my surgery there), and we’d be spending half of my recovery time in the middle of the mountains. In. Hot. Weather.
Not knowing what to expect with the recovery, I packed my favorite summer pieces. WRONG. I was wearing a post-surgery bra and a compression garment that covered my body from the shoulders down to my mid thighs 24/7. I couldn’t wear shorts, tops or dresses with thin stripes or low backs — basically nothing from my summer vacation wardrobe.
What do you wear when you have to cover all of your body and still be cool in hot weather? (You can see more of what I wore post surgery here).
Summer Lovin’: My Magical Button-Front Midi Dress
While I’m beyond the 24/7 compression garment season, I’m still very much in love with this style of dress. When I saw this Free People dress a couple of months ago, I could not not buy it. If you follow me on Instagram (@julietatorresd) you’ve seen the heck out of this dress, and know my love for it is true and sincere haha.
I wore it with a suede biker jacket and boots during the spring, but now these are my two favorite ways:
Midi/Maxi Dress Outfit 1: Over Jeans & Low Heels
The button down allows you to basically wear it as a top. The first time I wore this outfit, all my mom friends complimented how great it looked with jeans and those red heels.
Midi/Maxi Dress Outfit 2: With Flat Sandals
This is how I’m wearing it on hot low-key days. I like to leave a few buttons undone to show some leg and have more ventilation, and then I just pair it with flat sandals and a little bag. Find my favorite flat slingback sandals, here.
Don’t be scared of the low cut!!
If you see the retailer pic, you’ll notice the buttons start at the waist yoke. Reviewers complained about the low cut, and yes, it was definitely too low for me too. When it comes to these little things, I find solutions, so I grabbed the two extra buttons that come with it and sewed them on to close the cleavage more. My sister did the same with the yellow one. But that’s not the only option; the first day I wore it, I kept it together with a small safety pin.
Side note: If you’re taller, it may not come as low on you. I’m 5’2″ and things go lower on me.
Outfit Details
Dress – Wearing XS. Comes in ivory, powder blue, black and mustard. My sister has the mustard one. Want it for half of the price? Check if your size and fave color is available here!
Jeans – Favorite jeans right now. Comfy and with stretch. Same I wore in this post, if you want to see pics of how they fit.
Shoes – A pop of red in the form of shoes can make any outfit stand out! These are so comfortable and the heel is perfect.
Shop Button-Down Dresses
Did I say perfect for riding a bike?
Chao, chao
Julieta and that pimple on my forehead – again
You can follow me on Instagram (@julietatorresd) and my personal blog The Unbosom. I share more of my style, the story of my postpartum body and now my life after an abdominal repair aka tummy tuck. See you there!
Photography @paola_kaoud
Such an adaptable dress!
Hi Julieta! I love the idea of adding the extra buttons to close up the neckline a bit. Did you sew button holes or just sew the buttons on so that they are static and non-functional? If non-functional, how do you get the dress on – just slip it over your head like a shirt?