When it comes to fashion advice, I’ve received a lot of it from so-called style experts. Especially as a petite person (I’m about 5’3″), these experts love to tell me what short people can and cannot pull off. I recently remembered the time I was told maxi dresses for short girls was a style to be avoided. The reasoning? Maxi dresses were made for tall people, and the amount of fabric would swallow my frame.

Oh, okay.

Not only is this type of advice terribly confusing and often ends up contradicting what other “experts” say, but it’s also often pretty laughable. Why should my height dictate whether or not I try to wear a trend, or an entire category of clothing for that matter?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission. Some of the clothing items in this post have been gifted by the brand. All opinions are my own!

As it turns out, of course, as the style has continued to be popular, there are many options when it comes to maxi dresses for short girls. In fact, some of these styles can actually make you look taller, not to mention they make a great wardrobe staple since they can be styled for year-round wear.

Today, I thought I’d dive deeper into this topic and share the best maxi dresses for petites, a few suggestions on how to wear long dresses when you’re short, and how to style a maxi dress for summer!

What does Carrie Underwood, pink cookies, a breakfast buffet, and glass art have in common? Four highlights of my recent weekend in Tacoma, Washington, of course! Just about 40 minutes south of Seattle proper is Washington’s third-largest city. A bustling area of shopping, food, art, and culture, there are so many fun things to do in Tacoma that our girl’s weekend flew by in a flash!

Disclosure: Thanks to Travel Tacoma for hosting us for an overnight stay, and to Dukes Spirits for providing us complimentary concert tickets. All opinions in this post are my own!

​​​​​​​Before I tell you about my fun girls trip to Tacoma, let me address the elephant in the room: Tacoma has a bad rap. I grew up thinking it was dangerous, seedy, and all-around unappealing. Most Seattle-area natives will probably tell you the same. And often, it’s because people haven’t been there in a while. Or they just have heard it from someone else.

The fact of the matter is that it’s just not true anymore. With Seattle’s crazy growth, people are moving away from the city and new areas are growing and changing at incredible speeds to accommodate. As Tacoma has grown in inhabitants, it’s also grown in new things to do, places to eat, and many of the neighborhoods are up and coming with fun new things. Or they’ve already come up and anyone that doesn’t know about it is just a little behind. ;)

Today, I thought I’d share what we did on a recent girl’s weekend, as well as my other favorite things to do in Tacoma. Trust me, you’ll like Tacoma!