Maxi dress - will I ever get one?

For the past, at least three summers, I've promised myself that this summer I will finally buy a maxi dress. And I'm sure you can guess what the situation is... I still haven't got one.

It seems I'm not the only one, though. The image we're given of maxis is similar to this one of Olivia Palermo. Wear a maxi and you'll look fabulous. Working in retail I see a lot of women battling with the same issues regarding the maxi dress that I have...

Firstly, the length... It's a maxi dress so it's going to be long but exactly how tall are the people that they seem to be made for?!
I've found that there's two solutions for this "problem". One is to wear high heels. But I think of a maxi dress as quite a casual dress that you'll wear to the beach or shopping or something and you don't want to wear heels then.
So, the other option. And this is what I learned from a co-worker who was shorter than me and absolutely rocked a maxi - wear a belt. You cinch the belt around the waist and pull the maxi up a little bit. It'll look like Olivia's dress. A bit baggy on top but the perfect length.

After you manage to get the length right you're having to decide on material. I prefer the jersey ones. They're casual and can be dressed up or down with accessories. I also like chiffon ones as they're almost always very beautiful, a bit more glam than the jersey ones. And suitable for all the summer parties from a BBQ to a wedding. The ones that I don't really like are the ones made from linen, cotton or a similar material. I just don't like them. No real reason why, it's just my personal preference.

And finally, the colour and/or the print. In this case, I think the simpler the better. Black works best - it's the most versatile and will suit everyone. Other colours are obviously fine as well. Choose the one you love the most. With white, make sure you wear the right underwear!
Now, prints... It's fun to have a printed dress in the summer so if you're brave enough, go for it! I love leopard print so would probably go for that, if I could get something other than black, that is. A word of caution though. If you're petite I would advice to steer clear of big patterns. Choose small flowers or stripes. And for the bigger girls, like myself, avoid stripes but embrace flowers and geographic prints.

Here's some maxis that I think look great. Which one's your favourite? And most importantly, will you be getting one now? The pics are from my fashion board in Pinterest.

1. Pastel print

2. Sunny and bright

3. Interesting black



4. Embroidered beauty