My daughter is picky about clothes and when she had a concert that required a black costume I became concerned. She wanted a loose fitting dress with short sleeves. However, now it is winter and frost. I received this dress and the winter tights (which she liked even though they were tight?) and everything was perfect. Can be worn top or bottom. The maxi is the perfect length so it's not too long so she steps on it too, but it's big for her size, FYI. Would buy it in other colors and probably buy again