Retailers aren't daft, of course. Edmond believes that the high-street designers' use of the maxi-length was a contingency plan designed to hoover up all the women who wouldn't buy minis — and that has played a part in the resurgence of the maxi-hem. "I would imagine that last season's bum-skimmers didn't sell and retailers decided it was wiser to give women more options," she says. Rickey believes that the sudden success of the maxi is proof that the buyers for mid-market high-street shops are often more in touch with customers than high-end designers. "They know what women want," she says.
As with so many trends, celebrity patronage has undoubtedly played its part. At ASOS.com, Oshodi says that "we predicted the look because all the celebs have been wearing it since last summer, like Jessica Alba and Paris Hilton. The buying team came back from LA where the maxi-hem is a bit of a uniform at the moment." Edmond concurs: "It can be quite an LA look. Wear your vintage maxi-dress with your flat Jimmy Choos and you're away."
Yasmin Yusef, creative director at Miss Selfridge, is a proud wearer of the label's sell-out maxi-dress wearer. "For our buyers the idea came from watching how women were wearing vintage maxi-dresses at festivals last year."
Whatever kicked the maxi trend off, it's the forgiving length that will (probably) make it the look of our summer. After all, there aren't many styles of dress that are as universally flattering.
RSS