What's a maxi dress? It's a dress to the MAXIMUM. It's a dress that could not get any more dressy if it tried. It is a dress which has surfed the solar winds of outer dressdom and arrived back on earth as long and full and flowing as it can be.

On a purely technical level, a maxi dress is a dress with a fitting bodice that flows out to swirl majestically around the wearer's tootsies.

Maxi dresses are popular amongst women who enjoy demure, feminine and above all, modest wear and they are perfect for men too. Why? Because they cling to the bust and then cover everything else, a man doesn't have to worry about having (or lacking) curves in the right or wrong places. He can sweep about majestically in the comfort and style of a maxi dress, feeling every inch the proper lady without any niggling miscues to spoil the illusion.

Because Maxi dresses focus on what could be described as a traditionally feminine look, there are a wide range of these dresses in patterns and fabrics which discerning men are sure to adore. Florals are big when it comes to maxi dresses, as are bright and playful geometric patterns. The Maxi dress is also fairly versatile, going from summer to autumn wear (fall if you happen to be American,) with merely the adding of a little cardigan or perhaps a delicate shawl.

Though the basic idea of a Maxi dress always remains the same (fitted top, long flowing skirt,) there are nevertheless a great deal of variants upon the theme. Some Maxi dresses boast a flirty strapless look, whilst others make the most of cleavage by plunging low in front and clinging to the body with thin straps. Most Maxi dresses have some kind of band which sits under the cleavage area and does what every man who wears women's clothing loves, maximises the appearance of cleavage and waist, and creates a long feminine flowing line out below.

There really are very few body types that wouldn't look good in a Maxi dress. Men with broad shoulders would be wise to look for dresses which flow out in a wide pattern around the feet as this balances out the shoulders quite well.

In many ways Maxi dresses are reminiscent of the fashions of the 60's. There's an innocence to them, and refreshingly, a strong femininity without being over the top lascivious. If you're looking for a women's dress that will both fit and flatter a male figure, you probably can't do too much better than a Maxi dress.