maxed out

Lest you think this is a post about a shopping addiction of some kind, (which I would never admit to, for pete's sake) --its not.  Its about the major reappearance of an old favorite, the maxi.  In an earlier post I mentioned my love for the maxi skirt, in particular, the MinkPink Total Eclipse long skirt in a ombre velveteen that I ordered from one of my favorite sites, Shopbop.  It is fitted in all the right places and it's now on sale, by the way. (hurry!) I dressed it up at the holidays but have worn it with a combat style lace up bootie and layered cotton sweaters too for a more casual daytime look.
I know that the "patio dress" has been around for a couple of years but it is nice to know that if you aren't usually hanging out on said patio, you can still wear a full length skirt or dress in the day to your usual haunts without feeling like you escaped Little House on The Prairie.  I can see this trend is here to stay and is branching out with all kinds of options--originally a harder to find style-- my yellow DVF full length patio dress from two years ago still feels fresh.  Back on my MinkPink kick--the Storm Boy long skirt will take me into spring when the velveteen time has past and its funky print would be great for a night out.  You can find a maxi skirt or dress from almost everyone you can think of: Free People, James Perse, Splendid, Elizabeth and James and of course Winter Kate, where Bohemian Queen Nicole Richie does it right.
While shorter skirts and dresses still have a place in my closet (although mostly my Mini is the one I drive) some days I am definitely going to be dressed to the max.