Sun, Colour & Confidence: The Maxi Dress Edit for Women Who Dress in Full Volume

There is something quietly radical about choosing colour — real, unapologetic colour — in a world that defaults to beige. The rainbow stripe maxi dress has never really been a trend. It is a declaration. This season, the long dress is back at the centre of the conversation, and the women wearing it are not whispering.

Whether you are drawn to the crisp geometry of bold horizontal stripes, the sun-soaked warmth of red and orange florals, or the painterly chaos of a scarf print, the maxi dress in its fullest, most chromatic form is the single most versatile piece you can own right now. Here, we break down the looks worth knowing — and exactly how to wear them.

The Stripe Story: From Pool to Piazza

Stripes in a maxi silhouette carry an inherent ease — something coastal and unhurried. The key is in the cut. A halter neckline with a smocked bodice keeps things relaxed without losing polish; a strapless bustier version pulls everything into sharper focus.

The Faithfull the Brand Araceli in lemon stripe is the kind of dress that makes packing feel simple — it works over a swimsuit for lunch, then stands entirely on its own by sunset. Solid & Striped's Lottie leans into the knit-maxi moment with a St. Barths-inspired palette that reads as effortlessly luxurious. For those who want their stripe with more structure, Shona Joy's Saxon bustier panelling delivers architectural interest without sacrificing the carefree spirit of the silhouette.

Styling note: Stripe maxi dresses need minimal accessories. One gold bangle, flat leather sandals, and a raffia tote — that's the formula. Let the colour do the work.

Explore the full Destination Dresses collection →

Red & Floral: When Drama Meets Romance

If the stripe maxi is a sun-drenched postcard, the red and black floral maxi dress is a love letter. There is a fearlessness to wearing red — to choosing a maxi red floral dress over something safer — that never goes unnoticed. This season's iterations range from plunging vacation-ready styles to richly embellished linen gowns that blur the line between daywear and occasion dressing.

The Shona Joy Aleyna in geranium red is the maxi red floral dress for the woman who dresses for herself — the plunging neckline and gathered skirt create the kind of silhouette that belongs somewhere between a rooftop dinner and a terracotta-tiled courtyard. The Andrés Otalora Ser Arte, meanwhile, is something else entirely: a Bogotá-made red linen masterwork with handcrafted embellishments that speak to the brand's deep roots in Colombian artisanship. It is a piece that earns its price.

Explore the Swoon Worthy Dresses collection →

The Scarf Print Maxi: Staud's New Language of Colour

For those searching for the spirit of the rainbow stripe maxi dress but through a more painterly lens, Staud's Superbloom Scarf prints are the answer. Equal parts red, orange, and saturated multicolour, they sit at the intersection of resort luxury and downtown cool — which is exactly where Staud has always felt most at home.

The Staud Cubism in Superbloom Scarf is the kind of red orange maxi dress that requires nothing else — no statement earrings, no elaborate updo. Wear it as a maxi dress set with the matching Procida skirt layered beneath for a fashion week–worthy take on double dressing, or simply let the halter neckline and swirling print carry the room on their own terms. This is what the "staud rainbow dress" conversation is really about — less literal, more luminous.

Explore the full Designer Maxi Dresses collection →

The One That Started It All: A Stripe Dress with Staying Power

If there is one dress in this edit that captures everything the rainbow stripe maxi dress stands for — optimism, ease, a slight disregard for playing it safe — it might just be the Andres Otalora strapless iteration in bold stripes. Colombian designer Andrés Otalora approaches colour the way a muralist approaches a blank wall: with intention, with joy, and with zero apology.

At Lola Dré, we've always believed that a dress should say something before you do. The bold maxi — whether it arrives in stripes, florals, or something altogether more abstract — has that quality. It announces. It commits. And this season, that is exactly the kind of dressing we are here for.

Explore the Revenge Dressing collection →