Maxi Skirts For Summer 2025 - Style

It was only a matter of time before the maxi skirt had its turn in the limelight.

We’ve had the long-reigning midi skirt era, and more recently, a big mini skirt moment, and now the fashion doors have opened for floor-sweeping styles. The combined forces of Alaïa, Jacquemus, Toteme, Chloé, Marni and Ralph Lauren confirmed that the maxi was very much back.

There are three ways you can approach it this summer. Channel your inner 70s’ haute bohemian with a floaty, lightweight number à la Chloé or Ralph Lauren, or go down the minimalist route with 90s-inspired, column versions that would feel at home in the wardrobe of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Last but not least, we have the denim maxi, which far from its Y2K connotations, has been given a fresh, almost stern revamp, and is a summer-ready alternative to jeans.

All will become holiday classics, not least because they pack well, are easily rollable and space-efficient. Our style director Rachel Story swears by a jersey column maxi as the basis for an airport outfit – just add a T-shirt and jacket and you’re ready to fly in style.

Toteme spring/summer 2025

Before we present different ways to wear the maxi skirt, forget any existing preconceptions about this style being ‘frumpy’. When worn to its fullest effect, the maxi can be either slinky and chic, or ethereal and breezy. It’s anything but dowdy. Rihanna wears them, which should tell you everything you need to know. Versatile, breathable and easy to wear, the modern maxi is summer’s new fashion hero.

THE DENIM MAXI

For a relaxed weekend look (or a great holiday daytime outfit), employ summer’s favourite staple, the tank top, and team with a denim maxi. Add a pair of chunky sandals, understated earrings and a basket bag, and you’re good to go. A chunky cardigan in a neutral tone is a great addition for cooler evenings; an oatmeal shade offsets a tan too.

THE COLUMN MAXI

The elegant 90s’ column skirt has a lot of mileage in terms of ways to wear. A slinky silk style is a great evening option with a white shirt or barely-there vest, and also works well with a polo-neck in the winter months. Wear it by day with the aforementioned tank top or a short-sleeved, breezy shirt and thong sandals. A monochrome colour palette brings instant chic, but for a more upbeat, yet still sharp option, consider a column style in a colourful shade – Cos has a great maxi in pastel blue.

THE BOHO MAXI

There is something so very appealing about the whimsical, romantic freedom of a bohemian skirt. Floaty and airy, they look like the sartorial equivalent of a holiday. You can’t be stressed in a wafty, floor-sweeping number; they’re made for slow, relaxed sun-soaked days. Stop the look becoming too chaotic by keeping whatever you’re wearing on your top half simple. Hippy-adjacent skirts require little more than a T-shirt or vest to really sing.