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Dissecting Maxi Dresses

Laura

I know opinion is divided about Maxi Dresses on here. I don't own one or have plans to buy one, but I've seen 1 (yes exactly ONE) women in real life who I thought pulled it off.

I've seen a few women wearing them lately and I've been trying to figure out/articulate why exactly I thought they didn't work...so I've been looking at photos online...

When do you think maxi dresses work (or never?)? Here is a slideshow, maybe these examples will help with the discussion. I feel like a couple of these dresses could work if they were just tweaked a bit. What do you think?

http://showbiz.sky.com/everyones-wearing-9

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36 replies

Latest reply was from florida

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

For me, they just don't work. Full length dresses are formal, and a casual interpretation of them doesn't jive.

Anonymous

I was also going to say that they work for formal evenings. Then they seem best when one is revealing skin someplace else. I remember wearing them when pregnant but they can be easy to trip on or catch on things, so dangerous.
They remind me of Little House on the Prairie or the Ren Fest...a period costume...when worn for daytime.

Louise

Veteran

I rather like them as a casual summer option with thong sandals or a as dressy evening option with heels other than these 2 options i'm not too keen x

Stacey D

I haven't decided if I like them, either. I see them on some people and they look really cute, but others, not so much. I've not tried any on myself, which I guess I should do to see how I like them on me.

Anonymous

I liked about half of the maxi dresses shown in that slideshow. Not a fan of adding those oversized coverings, either. I personally love to wear them. I wore out my last one and finally had to retire it. Now I'm maxi-less.

Perhaps they work better on taller people? I don't know.

I love how this one looks.

http://www2.victoriassecret.co.....rfnbr=2201

Alison

I love wearing maxi dresses. I feel that they compliment my body very well, and I hardly ever say that. I tend to agree with Anne in that they look better on taller people.

Vildy

Veteran

They don't suit my life now - I need to be going up and down stairs and carrying things, etc. But I wore them constantly when I was in my 20's. I'm 61 now. But I wore them in the house, at somebody's pool or patio, on the beach. I would wear them walking around the streets of a beach town. Shopping or in restaurants in a beach town. The summery ones look like resort wear and darker winter prints - restrictive, again. The pregnant prime minister's wife looks restricted in that slide show. All that said, the only one I liked - and I love it - was Kate Hudson where the floaty print of the maxi gives off the vibe of an extra long scarf trailing from her blazer. I'd wear that.

NK

The length doesn't bother me as much as the fact that, like most sundresses, most of them are worn without a bra and are generally unsupportive.

After recently seeing two women at a fast food restaurant sporting really unflattering maxi dresses, I realized it was because they drooping or hanging out of the tops. One of the dresses had a smocked top and the other was a halter top. Unless the chest belongs to a teenager or was very recently surgically enhanced, chances are it needs more support than a tube top or a couple of flimsy fabric triangles tied in the back with a string..

jerseyjan

I think they look best as in beachy, breezy resort. Elsewhere, it looks like too much fabric and out of place. Of course, the body has to suit the dress. IMO

Jill

I'm still up in the air on what to make of them. They look super comfortable, especially for summer, which is probably why I think of them as tropical wear, or beach wear. But it also seems like just....so much fabric! Plus, I'm not too keen on hiding my legs because I think they're one of my better features!

Vildy

Veteran

ohh, the part about the bra makes perfect sense! When I was wearing maxis back in the day I had a completely different figure - @32B , only I would go years inbetween actually wearing a bra. Support wasn't anything I needed or had to think about!

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I rather liked the ones with sleeves from the slide show; those could be worn with a proper bra. I think these would totally work for me, but only for casual summer wear on the hottest days of summer with either platform sandals or gladiator sandals. I personally couldn't wear them as dressy (wedding guest and the like) or office wear.

I have seen people in my office pull them off at work, but they're usually the bohemian creative-types and are loaded with accessories. I don't think they'd jive with my work-wear style, although the right dress with the right accessories on the right person could totally work as officewear in my office.

greenglove

(website)

Veteran

I like them sometimes- Kate Hudson looks great and the Victoria Secret one is really lovely. I know it is not a popular opinion but that is ok. I am learning that more and more. Everyone cannot have the same opinion about everything. I sometimes wish there were more differing opinions on the forum- (just for discussion sake). Maybe we all have very similar taste or are we all secretly trying to get approval and not rock the boat? Or maybe we do have differing opinions and I have forgotten some of them.
For another thread I suppose.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I won't bore you with my opinion on casual maxi dresses yet again :0)

Here's the most recent blog post for anyone who's interested:

http://youlookfab.com/2009/05/.....be-dressy/

Like pant lengths, I am pretty much non-negotiable on this one.

cciele

Veteran

I'll have to give Angie an apoplexy and take some photos of me in my maxi dresses

Maya

Veteran

No offense to anyone, but I really hate them. I just find them so incredibly unflattering. They are so skimpy up top, billowy and blanket-like on the bottom, and the way they don't completely reach the ground creates a similar problem to ankle length pants. They remind me of a frumpy negligee.

Dashrashi

Veteran

Whoa--is Whitney's a jumpsuit? Check out the ankles. (First slide.)

Laura

hmmm...

I think I like the dresses to not to be so big at the bottom, if it's cut closer to the body through the leg, I think it looks better. But then would it not be a maxi dress? Maybe that is a column dress or something else? And I think heels/wedges help.

greenglove - I know what you mean about wanting differing opinions for discussion sake. And I'd love to see you give the maxi dress a try! I think you could pull it off.

Itari

(website)

I'm a bit partial to maxi dresses, as I like the 70s fashion. However, I have never found a good, casual one - which is lucky, since it would probably make me look older and extra frumpy - the "crazy cat lady" look, you know

Vix

Veteran

Did someone ask for dissenting opinions?

I have an unabashed love for maxi skirts and dresses (not every one, of course, just the genre in general). In general my style is more minimalist and tailored with a few shiny accents, but apparently I've got enough Persnickety Bohemian lurking inside to love me some maxis.

As long as the top has enough fabric to work with a person's proportions, the chest support is there as needed, and the material doesn't get tooooo billowy, I think the look flatters a fair number of people.

In fact I'm on trip right now where I needed "creative casual" vibe, and I tucked an ancient silk maxidress in my suitcase. Mine is more like the Stephanie Pratt one--an empire waist column--albeit with about double the coverage in the chest area. I'm topping it with a tonal T, a hip belt, and chunky-heeled sandals...if it ever reaches the 90 degrees forecast vs the 60s and rainy it is!

Anonymous

I went through wanting to like them in the '70's. I just couldn't get all that fabric to be comfortable, and be able to do anything except lounge in one.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I do think they look best at the pool or at a casual summer BBQ or picnic...I don't think I would be comfortable wearing them anywhere else.

I think I like the idea from a comfort standpoint since I don't want to have to be ladylike in a short skirt on a hot summer's day when I'm likely to be lounging around on the ground, etc. and pants just aren't as cool as a skirt.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I'd love to know what makes a casual maxi dress or skirt pool, BBQ and picnic appropriate. I guess they'll keep the mozzies off your legs.

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

I'm an unashamed maxi dress wearer, I know we are few and far between on this forum!! I love them on extremely hot days and nights, when I dont want to bare my legs for some reason e.g. like they are hairy but not quite at the waxing stage yet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/y.....225256166/

I love the feeling of breezy fabric and long skirts, and they appeal to the not-so-inner hippie in me. I wouldn't consider one that wasn't made of cotton though - the whole idea for me is to be as cool as possible. This is the only one I own, but I certainly wouldn't be averse to getting another one!

CK

I don't like them on myself, and I don't like the feel of all that fabric on my legs in the summer (which seems to be the season for wearing them). Also the tops are usually much too bare for me.

However, I do think they can look good on the some people, usually women with a more bohemian style. In this slide show, I like the ones styled more like sundresses as opposed to the long-sleeved, and I don't like Kate Hudson's blazer, but the black and white dress with the black blazer looks better.

Isabel

Veteran

I was just mulling this one over. I am not a maxi dress fun...but my husband loves them. I attended a birthday party where one of the mothers was wearing a maxi dress with a flowing cardi and she looked incredible. I kept following her around so that I could talk to her while I tried to figure out what made it work.

I Still don't know.

Queen Mum

Veteran

I think they can be a great pool party/ resort type wear IF you can manage to wear it well.
I was at a baby shower a while back and the hostess had on a maxi dress.. I think it was about 6 inches from the floor. It looked great on her and very appropriate for the outdoor shower.
I"m not going to hunt one down though as I don't think I could pull it off.

And I for one think Angie would look fabulous in one! Atleast humor us and try one on and snap a piccie

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I'm torn on Maxi dresses for the beach, I do not tan so the light coverage of a maxi dress with a large straw hat is appealing but I like to able to run to the sea to cool off without holding bundles and bundles of excess material. Besides I'm sure the holiday photos and Angie would confirm this would be a BIG mistake.

Laura

I finally found a photo of a maxi dress that is more form fitting (not so big and flowy at the bottom) and part of an outfit that I like as a whole:

http://media.entertainment.sky.....x-0510.jpg

Thoughts?

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