Oversized button-downs are hardly a new concept, but this season, designers and buyers alike have warmed to the idea.

FASHIONISTAS

Most trendy stores like Urban Outfitters and H&M offer the look as an oversized shirt or a shirt -inspired dress. As an alternative, go the cheaper route and raid the closets of the men in your life.

Finding these pieces should be relatively easy, but it is often difficult to style them. Use the look with a heavy hand, and being one step away from a hot mess is probable. The first issue is length. If you’re going for a dress look, it should fall about half way above your knee. If going for an oversized shirt look, slim/tapered pants or leggings are a necessity and you’re going to want the length to cover a good six inches of your thighs. Imagine you’re wearing a mini-skirt. The length should go down at least that far. You might want to go a tad longer, depending on the fit of the pants and your individual proportions.

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Thank you SO much for weighing in on my wedding wardrobe conundrum!! My cousin’s wedding was last week and I ended up going with something completely different from the Vera Wang gown and Betsey Johnson dress I was considering.

Pretty much my whole family decided to wear Ghanaian kente cloth – kinda like our family uniform for the day – and my sister (that’s her on the right in the blue kente) surprised me by having a one-shoulder kaba blouse and slinky maxi skirt sewn for me.

I loved the way it fit (the tight skirt gave me hips!) and I felt like flitting all over the dance floor thanks to the ruffled one shoulder strap. Here’s a full-length view (that’s me with my aunt…not the one who advised me to show off legs and shiny lips).

Ironically, my outfit ended up encapsulating the idea of both dresses I was considering. It was floor-length like the Vera Wang gown, but bright with a flirty flourish up top like the Betsey Johnson dress. Think I made the right decision?