I have been searching for the perfect maxi dress for what seems like years. It has to have a great print (which might be part of my problem--as I said the other day, I have trouble with prints) and a comfortable fit, but it has to be fitted enough to not make me look like a house. Granted, I'm a bit taller than average and thus can pull off the length, but so can Nicole Richie, and she's only like 5-foot-2. Anyway, after so many summers of slim pickings, this year maxi dresses are everywhere. Of course, now there are almost too many options.
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This Missoni dress is strapless, so you can't really get away with wearing it to work (unless you layer a tee or tank top underneath). Then again, if you can afford to spend nearly four grand on a dress, you probably aren't going to be too concerned about where you're going to wear it.
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If a floor-length Missoni print isn't decadent enough for you, there's always Pucci. Again, not really a daytime look (although this one does have straps), but could work for everything from neighborhood brunch to a yacht in St. Tropez.
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I really like this Temperley dress because the ivory-and-white color scheme keeps things simple, even though the print is large scale. The shape is incredibly easygoing and laid-back, which is what I really love.
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TIBI always has great prints, and this Papillon halter dress is no exception--it's really an abstract, enlarged butterfly motif. It's also 100% silk, which makes it incredibly luxe.
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Diane von Furstenberg also makes amazing prints, and those in her spring collection were exceptionally great. This dress manages to combine a groovy wallpaper print with a slim but still loose silhouette, and it's versatile enough to work for day or night.
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I saw this dress, also by DVF, on a pregnant woman at Morandi, which is just testament to how it works for all kinds of body types--it's her signature wrap dress, lengthened by a few inches and rendered in a gorgeous printed chiffon. (And, by the way, it's almost sold out here, but I saw a bunch of them last week at Bloomingdale's in Soho.)
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Roxy can always be counted on for breezy, California-girl tropical prints. The Moorea dress has a batik print that's a little bit Hawaii, and a little bit Morocco, but very bohemian all around. I like that the simple shape isn't overwhelmed by the mix of prints.
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Orange is not for everyone, but this Jaclyn dress from Delia's has a feminine cut, and I like the tropical feel of the print.
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Cht6XMR8jqQ/SBE494DgSBI/AAAAAAAAA6k/UEV5hXYOQKo/s320/154170_orn_fr.jpg)
Luckily, one of my favorite dresses is also the least expensive: this Mossimo dress from Target. The print is adorable, the fit is great, and the price--$22.99--can't be beat.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Cht6XMR8jqQ/SBE3JIDgSAI/AAAAAAAAA6c/37_kxbG_NnY/s320/51cc60KUvJL._SS260_.jpg)
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