Maxi dresses have been popular on the street for the past few spring and summer seasons, and 2012 is no different. Fashionistas have been flocking to maxi dresses for the warm weather season this year, and it is no wonder. After all, maxi dresses are an easy way to feel comfortable and casual while still looking polished. Love that!

Maxi dresses are being found this season in natural fabrics such as cotton and silk; making them perfect for warm and hot weather. With bright colors and stripes being hot trends for the spring and summer 2012 seasons, maxi dresses are appearing on store shelves in bright, vivid hues as well as nautical stripes.

There are three dominant necklines for maxi dresses this season; strapless, halter and tank. When shopping for a maxi dress, look for strapless styles, effortless tank dresses which can easily be belted and sassy halter top maxi dresses which also look fabulous as swim suit cover-ups at the beach. Love it!

The maxi dress is perfect for casual days and can easily be paired with embellished flat sandals or wedges. To dress up a maxi dress, a Fashionista can easily add a stack of bracelets and large earrings; playing into the current bold jewelry trend. To finish off the look, pair a daytime clutch or unstructured satchel, such as a Balenciaga City Tote, with a maxi dress for the ultimate in casual cool. Fabulous!

We found a few maxi dresses around the web and assembled them into the Polyvore set below; enjoy!