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The Jewish Chronicle

Maxi your impact for the hot season

The progress of the maxi is a textbook example of planet fashion's "trickle down" syndrome.

April 28, 2010 15:37
Floral bandeau maxi, £20, New Look

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

2 min read

The progress of the maxi — ubiquitous on the high street this summer — is a textbook example of planet fashion’s “trickle down” syndrome: a look that makes a huge impact on the catwalk but takes several seasons to hit the high street.

Cast your mind back to September 2007 when the spring/summer 2008 collections were being unveiled. That was the moment when a slew of designers, including Pucci, Cavalli, Diane von Furstenberg, Zac Posen and other hot designers, put maxis on the runway.

In their wake, a few key high street names and more rarified retailers offered maxis, but most ended up drooping forlornly on the sale rails. And while a few intrepidly on-trend fashionistas bought a maxi, UK pavements remained mostly unswept by the hems of a thousand floral print frocks. It was only this spring that the maxi went viral, wafting its late 60s hippy vibe across the high street.

The definition of a maxi is a tad inexact in parts of retail but, as a rule, if it is made of chiffon, organza, lace, taffeta, or any other traditional eveningwear fabric, it is not a maxi but an evening dress with an identity crisis.