I avoided dresses for a long time. Mostly because I felt I had to wear a heel or wedge with them. I enjoy going about my daily routine looking stylish, but comfortable at the same time. I am in and out of the car a lot and heels are not realistic. I instantly fell for the casual look that I could achieve wearing dresses and skirts with sneakers!

I am all about simple and quick when it comes to dressing. While I like to look finished and put together, the Summer months in Florida are too hot to be overdone. I am constantly heading out to the barn for riding lessons or to the beach for surf lessons and those errands make it tough to wear fussy shoes.

So, dresses have become my “go to” solution for those days when I can’t decide what to put on. They are easy to wear for a number of reasons. And, who isn’t about easy? (Especially now that I can throw on some sneaks with them!)

*They can fit any body because they come in a variety of fabrics, shapes and lengths.

*They are cool to wear in the heat of Summer.

*Most importantly, all you have to do is add a shoe and an accessory! You don’t have to match tees or blouses and decide what bottoms to wear! One stop shopping!!!

In order to pull off this look I have a few tips for you!

1 Don’t wear socks that show!!!! This is one of my most important suggestions.

A sock that shows, breaks up the line from dress to shoe and draws your attention right to the sock! Your legs will look longer if they don’t have the interruption of a sock.

2 If your sneaker has any sort of graphic print you should keep the dress simple. Wear teeshirt styles or solid colors with sneakers that have a little extra something on them.

And, if your dress is a busier print then keep the sneaker simple!

3 Still not sure if you can pull off a sneaker with something a little dressier? Ask yourself “Could I wear this with a flat sandal?” Chances are if you can wear it with a slide or wedge you can wear it with a sneaker. I am not fond of dressier dresses with sneakers. Certain dresses are meant to be worn as cocktail attire.

Another question I like to ask myself is…”How would I feel at the grocery store in this outfit?”

4 Maxi dresses require sneakers that are less bulky. Stick with something simple especially if the dress is a lot longer. If the dress is longer you don’t want it to drag on the ground so even a simple platform could work.

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5 Your sneaker doesn’t have to be the newest rage, you can pull off this trend with a simple Superga or Keds!

6 Finally, I would not pair athletic sneakers with dresses. You may see photos of this “trend” but it will look dated very quickly.

This white sneaker works as it’s more of a street shoe than a gym shoe.

I hope this helps you style sneakers/kicks with some of your favorites Summer Dresses! I know it has helped me get a lot more use out of them! If you try any of these looks, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @therealchachaolivia!