'I thought I'd never wear a minidress. One style changed my mind.'

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For a long time, there's one style I've been avoiding in my wardrobe.

I have a closet full of maxi-dresses with low v-necks and ankle-grazing hemlines. They're what I feel comfortable and cool in.

But mini-dresses? I've dodged them for decades.

Watch Jessica Leahy try the 'Style Maths' method with pieces from her wardrobe. Post continues below.

Throughout my early twenties I had a phase of wearing miniskirts, but only (and this was an important caveat) if I'd fake-tanned first. As if having orange-tinged thighs would somehow make them magically more discreet.

As I approached thirty and learned to lean into my true style, I accepted that what brings me comfort is what looks best on me. Hence, all the maxis and long, loose pants.

I've always felt comfortable in loose maxis. Images: Supplied.

But it also came with the realisation that for a very long time, I've internalised problematic messaging around what a person with fuller thighs "should" wear.

We carry our body baggage with us into changerooms, and it makes getting dressed harder. It holds us back from trying new things and getting out of our fashion comfort zone.

I'm petite, with an athletic build on top and a curvier bottom half. I have a sprinkling of cellulite on my thighs that's always been the stop-gap for me when it comes to embracing shorter hemlines.

Because minis are for leggy types… right?

All that old baggage started coming back up again when I observed some of the looks popping up on the A-list recently.

Shailene Woodley wore a shiny satin top by Khaite as a dress to the Venice Film Festival. Then Zoë Kravitz wore the same style, in hot pink, just days later.

We've also seen Hailey Bieber, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley and Em Rata in ultra-short fitted dresses in the past few weeks.

Shailene Woodley at the Venice Film Festival. Image: Instagram/@mollygreenwald. Margaret Qualley and Em Rata at recent events; images: Instagram/@daniellegoldberg.

All this points to being firmly in the era of the micro-mini.

The style will be inescapable in the coming months, coinciding smack back with the middle of summer — the time when we want to be wearing as little clothing as possible.

If I dig down a bit deeper, the truth is that I've always wanted to wear minidresses, because I love the look of them. But I've never had the confidence to try, until now.

I'm 36, dammit, and I can wear a little dress if I want to.

The style I'm treating as my 'entry level' into this trend is a more casual A-line shape I'm seeing lots of in local labels' spring collections.

It throws back to the retro shift dresses of the 1960s, rather than the tight-and-tiny mini's of the early 2000s.

My first official foray into acquiring one is the Paloma Applique Mini by new Australian brand Mattir — it's tailored, but with a looser silhouette in a sturdy linen fabrication.

Trying on the Paloma Applique Mini by Mattir. Images: Supplied.

When I tried it on, I felt relaxed, chic and a little bit sexy… but best of all, I felt comfortable.

Mister Zimi and Cotton On have colourful cotton styles made to skim over curves, Vrg Grl offers linen and denim shifts that make a simple statement, and I found the sweetest polka dot option at DISSH. You can check out my top picks below.

Shop the story.

Cotton On Shift Mini Dress, $50.

Image: Supplied.

Mister Zimi Candy Dress, $179.

Image: Supplied.

DISSH Beverly Linen Mini Dress, $189.99.

Image: Supplied.

VRG GRL Lolita Denim Mini Dress, $169.

Image: Supplied.

Mattir Paloma Applique Mini, $229.99.

Image: Supplied.

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Feature image: Supplied.