Maxi Dresses

A maxi dress answers the hardest question in a wardrobe: what to wear when the invitation is vague and the day is going to be long. The hem reaches the floor, and that does most of the work before you have even chosen a shoe.

The fabrics run from the light to the deliberately heavy. Satin and rayon fall and move. Cotton and linen breathe through a summer afternoon. Velvet arrives when the weather turns, and sequin and lace belong to evenings that were planned well in advance. Knit is the quiet one here, a floor-length dress you can wear to a coffee and then to dinner without going home in between.

Colour is usually where the decision actually gets made. Black and navy do the sober work; burgundy and red do the memorable kind; olive, brown, silver and gold sit somewhere between the two. Pink, blue, green and white belong to warm weather and to ceremonies held outdoors.

Occasion follows from those two choices rather than preceding them. A satin floor-length dress in burgundy is a bridesmaid's dress or a cocktail dress depending on the shoe under it. The same cotton one in pink is a vacation dress. One length carries a formal evening, a summer holiday and an ordinary Saturday; the cloth is what separates them.