Affordable maxi dresses provide you with some amazing style flexibility while keeping you fashionable within budget.

Now, probably the Mecca of trendy low-priced stores is Forever21. If you are looking for any clothes in any style, in any color and for a low price this is definitely the place to go. There are, of course, plenty of wonderful maxi dresses on the site but here some of my favorites. This Tribal Print Dress for $24.80 is fresh and playful. The rich teal color and black print make this dress really stand out. You can add some really great jewelry—either a pretty gold necklace and bangles or chunky orange bracelets—and you will really be the star of any function you attend. Another whimsical and pretty choice from Forever21 is this Daydream Floral Maxi dress for $29.40. It’s appropriate to wear to a semi-formal function with classic pearls and a large cocktail ring.

Another great dress I found was from Charlotte Russe, the dress is a nice $32.99 and has an amazing boho-type print and a ribbon tie in the back. The sheer fabric with lining takes away any cheap looking elements of the dress which is what you want when you’re looking for affordable dresses. I would pair this dress with some strappy heels for an edgy and interesting look. This dress is really perfect for a casual day and is only $29.99. You could even pair this with brown leather ankle boots if you want to wear this in the fall. Even affordable pieces are an investment, so try and find styles and patterns that you can take into future seasons.

Right now, Wet Seal is having the ultimate sale on maxi dresses. Select maxi dress styles are only $15 dollars! There are so many great styles on the site so you should definitely check it out if you want a great deal. A really fun maxi dress on the site that is great for taking to the beach or the pool is this one in hot pink and is only 15 dollars! Wear this with a huge floppy hat and a great big tote to put all your towels, magazines, and sunscreen in for some fun in the sun! Another style for only 15 bucks is this Retro Print Maxi Dress. You could wear this dress with a flat pair of t-strap sandals or some sky high espadrille heels.

Just because this is about affordable maxi dresses doesn’t mean that there aren’t any designer dresses that have a great price! Check out discount stores that carry designer labels and you’re bound to find some really great deals for a high quality dress. A great site for discount designer clothes is Bluefly, it’s this site where this great Nicole Miller maxi dress is at for $315 (it’s original price $585!). This dress is absolutely breathtaking and versatile for many different occasions. The pattern on this dress is very elaborate so jewelry should be minimal, but you can take this from day to night be switchingyou’re your large tote to a long clutch at night. Another, more formal type of maxi dress is this dress by BCBGMAXAZRIA for $270 (originally $500). The beautiful ombre print paired with pleating at the bust and waistline is so simple yet elegant it’s definitely a dress you can wear year after year. You can go classic by pairing this dress with gold strappy stilettos or stick with the comfy theme and wear some pretty embellished flats. It’ll definitely make you feel a lot better owning more than one maxi dress if you can buy them on a budget.

A favorite place of mine to shop for flirty and fun dresses is at Victoria Secret. Check this one out from Victoria Secret for $69 in Orange Juice. This is a really versatile dress, but I think it’s absolutely perfect for a casual day out in the sun. I could see this maxi dress worn out to a day of shopping or eating lunch on a restaurant patio. Pair this pretty dress with a beautiful turquoise necklace such as this one from Nordstrom for $48 and a bold gold watch like this one from Michael Korrs at $250.

One of the most popular places to wear a dress is to more formal places such as weddings, anniversaries, work functions, and birthdays. Maxi dresses are a great way to look formal with the long style without looking like your wearing a pageant dress. Instead of the “little black dress”, try this “long black dress” by Mason by Michelle Mason for $748. The ruffles are fun, yet still formal and elegant. Compliment this lightweight dress with a heavy and bold piece like this from Rachel Leigh for $188. And for add some drama to your toes with these strappy by Givenchy for $588.

Another great way to wear a maxi dress is in the office. Working a 9 to 5 might not seem so treacherous if you’re in a dress that looks like a gem but feels like a nightie. Don’t be afraid of a little print, in fact, embrace it! This dress from Aqua Tribal for $78 is sophisticated and stylish. Make this dress look perfect for the boardroom with a blazer such as this one from Elizabeth and James for $395, some black cutout pumps like these from Pollini for $528 and this really great Jack Rabbit crossbody bag for $595.

Accessory pieces are a great way to jazz up a plain maxi dress and make that dress you wore to the beach appropriate for a dinner out with the parents. Some casual accessories that a perfect for coupling with your maxi dress you could try would be simple pendant necklaces like this Pocket watch necklace from Urban Outfitters at $28 or this Teal Gold Pendant Necklace for $4.80 at Forever21. Sandals are a smart way to look chic and stay comfortable. These floral sandals from Steve Madden are bright and charming and at $49.95, great in every color!

Take the maxi dress into the night with some bold and flashy accessories. These dramatic statement earrings from Forever21 are glamorous and affordable at only $8.80. Some colorful heels like these from Topshop at $70 will definitely catch some eyes wherever you go. And you can’t forget to bring a handbag with you to keep your lipgloss and cellphone in. Go for a small and sparkly clutch like this from Urban mix for $140, it’s shouts old Hollywood glamour and is the perfect choice for a enchanting evening look.

If you don’t want to invest in a new maxi dress I would consider wearing some different accessories to spice up your old maxi dress. Stay away from large wooden bangles or huge earrings. The maxi dress is associated with the old “hobo” trend and we want to put a new spin on it. Instead, opt for more delicate, simple accessories such as a simple gold necklace with one charm, or a simple pair of drop earrings. www.forever21.com has some a lot of great options of jewelry at an affordable price. If that’s not enough pair your maxi dress with a structured bag instead of a hobo or tote. This will put a fresh spin on an old favorite. Trade your oversized bug-eyed glasses for an oversized straw beach hat. It’s a glamorous touch perfect for the summer and also practical to stay away from those harmful sun rays. If you still have your solid maxi dress laying around you can try some of this season’s fun styles such as the chiffon or ribbon from www.forever21.com or their flower pendant necklaces—really feminine and chic styles that will definitely pull your old maxi dress into this season. Another really great option is the tuleste market Antiqued Rosette Chocker at www.shopbop.com for $128.

Another great way to liven up your maxi dress is shoes of course! Wedges are one of my favorite shoes for the summer. A great option is the Alberta Ferretti straw and cloth wedges from www.yoox.com selling for $270. Another great wedge option is the Knotted Rope Espradrille Wedge from www.gojane.com for the low price of $16.80. Another great style is the studded trend that’s popular this season. You can make it more feminine by finding a studded sandal in a light or pastel color such as the pink Leatherette Studded Strappy Sandal from www.gojane.com for $18.90.

Whether you’re looking to find the season’s newest maxi dress or searching for ways to liven up last season’s maxi dress—don’t be afraid to sport the maxi dress trend this season. It’s the most comfortable and feminine trend out there right now so wear it while it’s still chic!

Another fresh way to wear the maxi trend is by wearing maxi style skirts. This style is good for girls who want the long flowing style of maxi dresses but prefer separates a style, color, or fit different from your bottoms. Plus, there’s the option of making your long maxi skirt into a knee-length dress perfect for summer or casual days. A great and affordable option is the Mossimo Black Convertible Skirt available at www.target.com for $19.99, and they come in a variety of cute and versatile colors—Rocket City Gray is one f my favorites. A more elegant option would be the Paneled Silk Skirt by Martin and Osa at www.martinandosa.com for $89.95 and come in the colors ebony black and aurora purple. The aurora purple would be a great spring pick sure to make a statement at any dinner party or elegant evening out. The Crochet Maxi Skirt from www.charlotterusse.com for $19.99 is a flirty fun option for spring or summer that can easily be paired with a simple colored tank top and wide brimmed straw hat. One other great option is this Bandini Skirt from www.newport-news.com at $59.00 which is luxurious and easy to transform from a day outfit to an outfit appropriate for a night on the town. This trend will definitely stick into the summer season so don’t hesitate to stock up on these full length beauties. Find the right maxi dress for your body type and get creative with the styles and cuts of the new maxi dresses, or reinvent your old maxi to take it into the current spring and summer trends. Take this dress on your summer travels or on dates with your spring fling. Its versatility and easiness will want you to declare these maxi styles your new spring and summer uniform. Stay relaxed on your days going to the beach, shopping with your best girlfriends, or even rushing to get your kids to soccer, ballet, and music classes! Everywhere you go you’ll be able to stay stylish and chic without feeling restricted or uncomfortable from your clothes. From women to girls, the maxi dress style is appropriate for any age and will look cute and girly on everyone. Keep your body comfy and gorgeous in this season’s maxi dress.

Ok, so our favorite thing about the famed maxi dress is that there are so many different styles to choose from! There’s a dress for every woman, every occasion and every style. So all you fastidious shoppers, here are all the options you can choose from:

The maxi dress has many different styles for the top part of the dress such as—halter, spaghetti strap, sleeveless, one-strap, strapless, long sleeved, and those are just for the sleeves and straps! You can also choose from empire waist, low cut in the front, backless, loose around the whole chest, smocked bust and many more for the torso part of the dress. Here are some pretty options we’ve found that are good examples of some of the options that have been listed:

This crochet top Ella Moss dress is so elegant and pretty and $184.99 at Shopintuition.com:

This capped sleeve maxi dress by T-Bags gives us that retro feel, we love it! You can find this dress for $237 at Shopbutante.com:

This Pucini dress found at Revolveclothing.com, on sale for $270 is perfect for a date night or a summer wedding. This dress has a beaded empire dress and has a low v-cut in both the front and back. So pretty!

The one-strapped top is going to be a big style for next season, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love it right now! This dress –by Adam—is so glamorous and beautiful and the ruching above the bust give the dress an extra luxurious feel. You can find this dress at Shopbop.com for $495.

This is a great example of the smocked bust strapless dress found at Forever21.com for $27.80. This dress is so beachy and the paisley print is so hippie and fun.

Alright, now there are also so many different fabrics, colors, and patterns you can choose from for the maxi dress.

Prints are really popular for the maxi dress. Big prints, small prints, their all embraced by celebs and fashionistas alike. These are some really great print maxi dresses we found:

This dress is absolutely adorable! The pastel colors are so soft and pretty and the flower print is so relaxing it just makes you feel like you’re in Hawaii, doesn’t it? You can find this Milly dress on sale at Shoptwigs.com for $137:

Now, I must admit, I don’t know how long this psychedelic printed pattern trend is going to last for maxi dresses. So if you’re like me and don’t want to spend big bucks on trends that might be over by the time we buy them then you’ll love this dress we found at Forever21.com for $34.80. We love that there’s a separate solid fabric used for the top part of the dress. Sometimes prints can be too much if it’s all over the dress so a solid fabric gives your body some separation and shape. The print on this dress is so pretty, it looks like watercolors!

Now, heavy prints might not fit everyone’s personal taste. Luckily the maxi dress comes in solids and is in every color imaginable! Color blocked dresses are also a good way of having an interesting fabric “pattern”, but is still simple enough that your eyes won’t get a headache from staring at it for too long. Here are some great examples of solid and color blocked dresses:
This solid navy blue maxi dress from Urbanoutfitters.com –for $68—looks so comfortable and feminine. Our favorite thing about this dress is the knotted strap in the back—such a cute detail.

This organic maxi dress has become a hit with celebutantes everywhere. Pretty ladies like Lauren Conrad, Hayden Pannetierre, and Christina Aguilera are rocking this organic jersey maxi dress with twisted straps. You can find this dress at Gypsy05.com for $100. Here’s Lauren Conrad wearing this dress in a lipstick red:

And last but not least here’s the color block dress that we absolutely love, so adorable. You can find this dress at Edressme.com for $92:

You can look at the “How to wear the Maxi Dress” article to see which style fits your body type the best, but just look at all the possibilities! I must say all these options will keep an indecisive girl like me thinking for days about which style I should wear!

If the maxi dress had to be put into three words I would choose these three “f’s”: flirty, flowing and floor length! Celebrities from Jessica Alba to Miley Cyrus are sporting summer’s most fashionable trend. Everyone thought the maxi dress would die along the boho style of Mary-Kate and Ashley. But the maxi dress has proved its greatness when it came back into fashion for 2008 because of its fashionable casualness and easiness to wear.

“Maxi” must be an abbreviation for “maximum” since this dress offers maximum comfort and maximum comfort which is what we love about this season’s trend. The “maxi” is the perfect piece to take from day to night because of the casual fabrics the dress comes in, and the long length and pretty patterns makes it glam enough for the night. We live in our maxi dresses and believe it has become the new velour jumpsuit! Throw it on when you’re walking the dog, shopping for groceries, or for your coffee runs, its comfortable and more glamorous than any tracksuit.

The dress works with chunky heels, gladiator sandals, even the regular Havaianas you have laying around. For shorter girls however, I would recommend pairing your maxi with a chunky heel since this dress tends to make small girls look microscopic with all the fabric! The “maxi” comes in many different styles from halter to tube top to spaghetti and a variety of fabrics such as jersey, silk and cotton. The fit of the “maxi” is loose and voluminous which is perfect for that casual beachy feel for summer , and for hiding any bodies not ready for the swimsuit season while still looking fabulous.

It can be tricky to wear this trend without looking like a huge tent, so here are a few tips to making sure you look like a socialite and not a balloon:

1. Make sure to find a dress that is more fitted around the chest area or an empire waist to at least some of your body some shape.
2. If you’ve got some hips and stomach don’t pick a dress that’s too voluminous or has too much fabric because that will add to the “tent” factor.
3. If you’re lacking in the height department make sure to find a dress that isn’t too long, fix your hemlines so you don’t lose any more inches from your petite stature.
4. Don’t match this long flowing dress with an oversized coat or long sweater, instead opt for a cropped bolero or fitted cardigan to prevent yourself from looking too grungy.

The maxi dress also comes at many different price points. Our favorite brands for the higher priced maxi dresses are: Milly, T-Bags and Ella Moss. Milly has a beautiful silk maxi dress with halter straps for $520 Milly Maxi Dress.

My favorite dress of T-Bags is the black one shoulder dress for $238 (T-Bags Maxi Dress). And the Ella Moss Dress that is perfect for day of shopping or beach parties is this sleeveless blue dress for $200 (Ella Moss Maxi Dress). My favorite maxi dress I’ve seen is this one by Nicole Miller for $328 (Nicole Miller Maxi Dress).

There are also some absolutely adorable ones we found. There were so many to choose from at Vicotria’s Secret website but our favorite one is this print halter dress for $79, the print is so fun and playful and the fit on top prevents the maxi dress from looking like a smock (Victoria’s Secret maxi Dress). This one we found at Wet Seal, comes a fun and flirty bright pink color and has a pretty criss-cross detailing in the back for only $36.50 (Wet Seal Maxi Dress). The Halter Necklace Maxi Dress we found at Forever 21 looks so comfy and chic, and for only $29.80 we want to buy them in all the pretty colors (Forever 21 Maxi Dress)!

Have fun experimenting with the different ways to wear your maxi dress this season. Accessorize it with pretty necklaces, chunky bracelets or fabulous hoop earrings. You can adapt this season’s dress into any of your summer’s events so take advantage of this trend, we know we will!