The Mighty Maxi |
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| Written by Nicola Hyland | |
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Newsflash fashionistas: Hemlines are dropping all over the globe as the best dressers embrace the gorgeous Maxi Dress! We at Ask Bronny predict you’ll love to laze those summer days away in these billowy beauties.
Yes siree, you can kiss those knobbly knees, blotchy thighs, bumps, lumps and cankles goodbye this season, with the take-over of the fabulous ankle-length day dress. The Maxi Dress is set to overshadow last summer’s homage to all that is mini, with the focus moving up to toned arms and plunging necklines, keeping the legs safely undercover. Using seventies inspired designs and prints, the modern Maxi-dress evolved from the influential Boho look and a move towards more floaty feminine fashion. Flower children might remember the 1970s heyday of the original ‘lounge’ style Maxi dress, worn at classy BBQs, key-swap parties and drag race meets. The Maxi is set to make a fresh, earthy comeback this summer, as a pretty response to the moody and miserable Punk/Emo styles darkening our wintry streets. The Maxi is designed as a truly multi-functional piece; appropriate for summer shopping missions, beach dates, picnics, cocktail parties and even informal weddings. Maxis come in a variety of designs; with halter or scooped neck, spaghetti strap, capped sleeve or bandeau necklines. Many of the most popular styles this season continue last year’s love affair with the flattering empire line and can be glammed up with wide clinch belts - and a little bling. The key factor of the modern Maxi seems to be patterns. We’ll be seeing a bit of paisley, a shock of floral, and plenty of those bright geometric shapes reminiscent of the late sixties. Bright and busy is pretty big too – so be prepared for bold statements in sunny primary shades. Like the shortest of short dresses, not everyone will suit the ground-grazing styles of the Maxi. Many girls of short-stature veer away from ankle-length dresses fearing that they look like drowning children, while some Amazonian giantesses avoid long dresses fearing they look like huge paisley trees. Like anything, there is generally a style to suit all. A good fit is the best start – particularly for smaller girls, with attention to a fitted bust deterring the extreme length. A bias cut is widely thought to be the most flattering cut for any shape. Large shoulders may warrant more detail to the cleavage, while busty lasses may want to accentuate their waistlines with a belt or scarf. In the United States, the craze has been attributed to that it-girl-creating style guru, Rachel Zoe. Infamous for making over the notorious Bad Girls of Fashion, Zoe has recently sent Paris and Mischa out displaying the merits of the Maxi dress, while her ex-protégé Nicole Richie, has also taken on the fad with her usual skeletal gusto. Other wooers of the Maxi in the US include Uma Thurman (thumbs up) and Jessica Simpson (major thumbs down). In the United Kingdom, the Maxi arrived via that Queen of Chic, Kate Moss, who included my personal favourite Maxi dress so far – a Spanish-inspired red number – in her collection designed for Top Shop. Joss Stone managed to detract from her horrible blurple hair-do with a hippy-style Maxi at the benefit concert for Diana. The lippy Brit pop star, Lily Allen, has also been an influential worshipper of the Maxi, daring to team them with trainers and obscenities. Geri Halliwell outshone Posh and Scary’s overt display of their “spice-racks” at the recent press conference announcement of the Spice Girls reunion, with a vintage Ossie Clark Maxi. Ossie Clark and his wife, textile designer Celia Birtwell, were hugely influential in the fashion scene during the late sixties/ early seventies and their ‘romantic’ design collaborations are consistently emulated in the modern Maxi. Geri’s ‘English Rose’ look was a far cry from the trashy flashy Ginger of a decade ago –although it was a little ‘Nana’s lampshade’ for my taste… Maxis will undoubtedly hit the racks in the near future, but if you want to have an early edge, hit the internet for some luscious vintage numbers. I had two amazing Maxi dresses, both circa 1970, found on the retro racks of a musty old second hand store about 3 years ago. In the stupidest move of the year, I decided that the mini-craze of 06 warranted me cutting the bottoms off both of these two glorious floor-length frocks! Oh well, time to go explore those musty aisles again… While the secret might be out on the Maxi dress, trendsetters like Miss Richie (with matching man-hole sunglasses and headscarf), can be sure to hide any other ‘secrets’ away with the mighty Maxi! Like the one in our picture? Well it could be yours ... Buy It Now!! |
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