Maxi dresses were shown by designers for spring/summer 2011 in Milan, Paris and New York as part of the boho-chic trend and also as a stand-alone trend for the warm weather months. The maxi dresses were shown in simple, sleek solid colors as well as with complicated patterns and flowing fabrics such as on Roberto Cavalli’s runway. The maxi dress or skirt styles which have gone from the runway into reality are a combination of everything designers imagined for the season.

The one rule for the maxi dress this season is that there is no rule! Maxi dresses and skirts are shown in slim styles which hug the body from the waist down to the ankles, as well as gathered, pleated and flowing; reminiscent of the hippie movement from the late 1960’s and 1970’s.

Maxi dresses are easy to wear and offer a breezy way to stay cool in the warm summer months. The one challenge a Fashionista may have with maxi dresses or skirts is that the length is hard to pull off when one is petite.

For the 5’5” and up set, maxi skirts and dresses are easy to wear and can elongate one’s silhouette. For those of us who are 5’4” and under, the ankle length can make us short and stubby. There is a solution for petite women who would like to rock the maxi trend; slim silhouettes. The slimmer silhouettes work better than the fuller skirts when one is less than 5’4”, making the maxi trend accessible for those of us who are, shall we say, challenged in the height department?