That's a beautiful lady! Still want to shorten the hem on the frock, though. Can't help it I'm afraid. Too much dress for casual settings and I'm non-negotiable on that one.

But I will say that I LOVE pukka long Indian attire on Indian ladies at any time of the day. It might be a double standard but that look totally works. Can't tell you why - it just feels right. Spoken like a true ENFJ.

I have one maxi dress that I've worn maybe twice. It's cute and all, but I sweat like a pig in it in the summer time with my legs all covered up. I'd rather wear something knee-length.

I suppose I'm in the minority here, because I love maxi dresses, I'm 5'1" and I sport 'em casually with sandals for Summer (in SoCal). I love the easy, carefree, feeling of a flowy dress. Although, I never wear one without a bra (even though I'm small chested) - I'll layer a tank under the spaghetti straps so that a bra can be worn without being seen.

>>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

Hey Tortoise, you being are what the NYT calls "forward." The slideshow accompanying the below article has lots of mid-calf lengths plus 1 or 2 true maxis.

NYT: "A Long, Lean Backlash to the Mini"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05.....7MAXI.html

I think between this and the dubiously-escapable "exotic" maxi looks featured in Sex in the City 2, my 10 y.o. Blue Lagoon maxi dress and I will be so backwards we'll be forward, ha.

I'm sorry but I'm just not a fan of maxi dresses. To me they look like a beach cover up or a nightgown. The only style they might fit into is a hippie look. But this is just my opinion!

The more pictures I see of maxi dresses, the more I dislike them. And those "midi" length skirts and dresses in the NYT slideshow look frumpy as can be.

Sorry!

The only one on here that I like is the one as worn by Kate Hudson. Love the volume-over-volume with that jacket and of course the boots. My problem with maxis is that they are seriously lacking in coverage up top (I think they often call for an underlayer) and then have all of that volume on the bottom--they look unbalanced to me.