<p>I love the Tommy Bahama and BCBG dresses but can’t buy those brands…they are just too short for me. I’m too tall and all legs and the length is uhmmm obscene. I always thought models were “tall” but when I try those brands on what hits the models mid thigh hits me much higher.</p>
<p>I love that BCBG turquoise dress. Not sure if I would go so bright. My younger D loves BCBG. We actually have a store credit that I need to use.
Oldest D and I were just in Indianapolis and went into Ann Taylor Loft. They have some really cute clothes right now. Including some nice summer dresses.They were a bit expensive. I always remembered them as being fairly inexpensive. My D did find several cute things that were 40% off of the sale price so bargains can be had if you get lucky.</p>
<p>You inspired me - I wore my Tommy Bahama dress today (with a lightweight cardigan) when we went shopping for garden supplies. It was over 70 degrees and so sunny I could not resist!</p>
<p>Alumother - Lole clothes arequite popular here in my neck of the woods. REI carries them, and occasionally Sportswise warehouse sales have them. Have you seen Horny Toad clothes? I hate the name and their logo, but their dresses and skirts are really cute and comfy. I just cut off the labels with the ugly lizard, and I’m good to go. :)</p>
<p>I see that Ann Taylor Loft is making changes and the clothes will now be more trendy. I work in a “business casual” office and wear a lot of their clothes, so I am wondering just how trendy this will be. When I shop there, I notice a lot of women in the 30-50 age group and I suspect they are trying to get the younger people in. Seems like everyone wants to sell to the teens and 20 somethings.</p>
<p>My daughter noticed the change in Ann Taylor Loft as well, their clothes have always fit her the best for her body type, so now it is ironic in a way that they are catering to her age - not to her wallet though, she is going to hit the outlet next weekend and see what is there since she needs clothes for her summer job…</p>
<p>I love the clothes at Ann Taylor Loft as well, but I’m about 20 pounds over my ideal weight and they don’t seem to fit me well at all. :(</p>
<p>I borrowed a BCBG dress from DD’s closet. Shhhh… Don’t tell her 
DH thought I looked great in it and told me, “Hide it or the little fashionista will steal it!” LOL.</p>
<p>Ann Taylor Loft can be a hit-or-miss when it comes to quality of their clothes. I have a couple of cardigans that shed worse than my cats! And then I have a couple of skirts that I bought many years ago and yet they still look lovely and almost brand new.</p>
<p>A couple of years ago I just had to have a red jacket…Ann Taylor (not Loft) had one that was so perfect that I paid full price. It has pilled long the inside of the sleeves like crazy. The jackets I’ve bought at Marshalls for $30 have worn better than that!</p>
<p>Another vote for Ann Taylor Loft here. These are great clothes for work for me- business casual but more professional than some I tend to wear (from Gap, JCrew etc). I don’t recall liking Loft as much in past years. I think the sizing is fairly generous, too.</p>
<p>Wow, four hours of posts on this thread just disappeared.</p>
<p>I love the way the clothes look in The Loft these days, but the fit just doesn’t work for me. The dresses are too short and the tops I like are unstructured – to buy them big enough to get around the girls they hang and look like maternity on me 
so sad. But I do love the shirts with the ruffles since I like to sometimes be a girly girl and wish they would look better on me.</p>
<p>Loft dresses don’t work for me either. WAY too short. But then I’m super tall and have ugly knees. </p>
<p>The maxi dresses…I don’t know…I can’t see 50 year old ladies wearing them. Do they??
I do like their tops and pants.</p>
<p>Got a cute pair of Born flip flops at Norstrom’s rack yesterday. Black flower at the thong dresses them up and they’re REAL comfortable. Nice find.</p>
<p>I bought an inexpensive “maxi dress” a couple summers ago when they first came out. I thought it was cute…until I saw a picture of myself. I have long thin legs…probably my only asset and I just looked abit silly, like I bought something that was too long. They are cute and so summery…I almost bought those same Born sandals…loved the flower! I still might pick those up this summer.</p>
<p>I don’t think maxi dresses/skirts are very flattering on us mature types either. It makes me feel Amish or something. I think you need a very particular sense of style to pull it off. Just saying.</p>
<p>I bought one coloful maxi dress last year. Met a friend for lunch. “Is that a traditional Scandinavian costume?” Ummm. No. The dress was donated to a charity. Then DH bought me a gorgeous summer dress -long, but solid color. My style gurus confirm that it actually looks good on me. :)</p>
<p>No maxi dresses for me. I like above the knee length.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is hilarious. Most likely (and I am 100% Scandinavian) that’s what I looked like… I am guessing that the solid color maxies would work better than the more floral/tropical…</p>
<p>momofthreeboys and toneranger: I have those Born sandals with the flower too. Mine are silver and I got them at Marshalls. I think those are last year’s style, because they are also on Nordstrom web site. </p>
<p>I like the maxi dresses, but agree–perhaps not for over age 50. Made for women with a figure like an ironing board, as my grandmother used to say.</p>
<p>I have a hard time wearing any dresses because I bruise easily and usually sport at least one which slacks do a nice job of hiding. Oh well, slacks are warmer anyway, especially in air conditioning, which I’m frequently in. I do like dresses and have a long skirt that I also enjoy wearing & looks great. Nice & slinky. I’ve even worn it over thermals when it was cold but I wanted to look dressy (opera).</p>
<p>Regarding the maxi dresses, IMO:</p>
<p>young and skinny = cute</p>
<p>middle aged and overweight = way frumpy</p>