Sexy dresses take it to the maxi this summer

Some leftover notes to dispose of before we get to the meat of this week’s column. First, it seems like every second store is capitalizing on the move to cloth bags by selling their own. The upside: they’re cheap. The downside: the logo. Shouldn’t they be paying us to be walking billboards? The best one around in terms of style and minimal corporate content is the 99-cent carry bag sold at Sears (various locations), in a black-on-ecru filigree design.

Next, a reminder about Zara (1056 Robson Street and Metropolis at Metrotown), specifically how gorgeously this Spain-based chain has captured summer’s floral vibe with floaty tops and dresses awash with soft-focus Monet-type flowers. Something else to watch out for—Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street) stocks the Kate Moss Topshop collection, familiar to anyone who follows Brit fashion; also, its Contemporary department has picked up on a trend that rampaged across Europe last summer and appears set for another go-around.

I’m talking about the maxi dress. Hats in the air because, for the first time in several seasons, there’s a genuinely new silhouette out there. Everything else—minis, cropped pants, frocks, shorts, gypsy skirts—is pretty much a retread. But ankle-length dresses? Those haven’t ambled down Vancouver sidewalks since 4th Avenue was a byword for head shops.

Don’t get me wrong. The new maxis aren’t line-for-line copies of the Summer of Love wear inspired by everything from Pre-Raphaelite art to idealized shepherdesses. These have a sleek, noncostumey look with styles highlighting bare shoulders, V-necks, and the Empire cut. But beyond these common denominators, there’s enough variety that, unless you cringe at the thought of wearing anything long and flowing, you’ll easily find a style to tickle your ankles.

For maxis at their most luxurious, check out the Diane von Furstenberg examples at Holt Renfrew. One dress in a sensuous modal-silk blend in turquoise blue features wide, asymmetrical bands of yellow and pink at the hem ($285)—not pale pastels but bold colours that look best in the sunlight. Another by the New York designer is made of silk that’s colour-blocked in tropical shades of pink, green, and turquoise, and is held up by bronze cords that tie behind the neck and end in bronze and wood beads ($485). The Tart label is stitched to a sweet but not sugary maxi dress with the requisite V-shaped neckline and Empire styling, its fabric patterned with roses outlined in navy on a grey background ($310). From T-Bags, another California-based label, comes a maxi in a purple, olive, and orange art deco–inspired geometric print ($250); most maxis around are sleeveless, but this one has shoulders that widen to form little sleeves.

Showcasing black poly-spandex patterned with tan flowers ($295) and styling it with spaghetti straps and a tiered skirt, RozeMerie Cuevas of JC Studio (46 West 6th Avenue) is one of the few local designers to include a maxi in her spring collection. She loves them, she says, for their ease and comfort. Over at Bebe (various locations), long dresses revive the tiered skirt that’s been around for at least three years now, except that these fall to the ground. A one-shouldered version has a deep white ruffle framing its neckline and descending in a series of progressively darker black-and-white leopard prints ($206). Another, also tiered but this time in a black-and-white abstract print, has a black belt outlined in white under the bust, adding graphic edge ($171). Zara combines three different small-scale, black-and-white prints for the bra-shaped top, torso, and deep hem of a maxi dress ($69.90). Punch up the look of any of these with a vivid yellow or lime purse or sandals.

Plum Clothing (various locations) sells a couple of possibilities that let you sample the trend without flaming your credit card. One in a swirly fuchsia, grey, and black print has the requisite V-neck and high waist ($59); the other, printed with what look like patches of blue bandanas, fastens behind the neck ($69). Spank (various locations) carries a fluttery light cotton dress by Nymph ($89) in an emerald butterfly print, with ties at the neck and under the bust, as well as the most casual example yet: a fuchsia button-through, large-pocketed maxi by Fili & Grane ($59).

Ankle-grazing dresses have traditionally meant formal, grad, or bridal. But schlepping along the Drive or hanging out at a sidewalk café? You bet. Anyone who snapped up the longish tiered skirt of a couple of summers ago knows that sensual feel of fabric swishing like surf around your legs on a hot August night. Easy to wear? Slide it over your head, and you’re instantly maxi-dressed.

Just remember to keep the look casual with low-key accessories. Skip delicate silver and Swarovski crystals in favour of gutsy wood bangles or a string of marble-sized beads. Then all you have to do is slide your feet into flip-flops, ballet flats, or sandals, and you’re good to go.

Source: straight.com