I tried on a lot of white maxi skirts and these are the 5 styles I recommend

Effortless summer dressing

white maxi skirts
L-R: Zara, Massimo Dutti, Louise Misha, Jacquemus, Boden
(Image credit: Future)

It's part of my job as Contributing Fashion Editor to try on the best capsule wardrobe items and latest trends, so I can tell you which ones are worth investing in and which ones aren't.

So far, I've covered white dresses, waistcoats and culottes, and today I've turned my attention to white skirts - maxi ones to be precise. While they naturally fall into the timeless capsule category, they are very much having a moment this season, on and off the catwalk. There are many different styles you can go with, but per my experience, there are five styles I would recommend for SS24 and beyond.

These are all pictured in the main image, from left to right: the bubble skirt, the denim skirt, the boho skirt, the straight skirt and the linen skirt. The one thing they all have in common is the length. This season, it has to be floor-length, or ankle grazing at least.

The bubble skirt, also seen on many dresses this season, gives Y2K vibes, especially paired with a bandana top - disc belt optional. Denim skirts have been everywhere these past couple of seasons, but for the summer, we're steering away from the classic blue washes. I also love the pleat in the Massimo Dutti skirt I tried, which makes it a little dressier and more office-appropriate.

It's hard to miss the boho trend revival, mainly thanks to Chemena Kamali's new vision of Chloe, so I've included a broderie anglaise skirt here, although a floaty style will do as well. A simple straight maxi skirt in cotton or linen is the perfect minimalist take on the trend, as is a linen skirt, in all cuts. You will never regret buying those as they're 100% timeless.

The beauty of the white maxi skirt is that it's incredibly versatile. I've teamed the styles I tried (which are all shoppable below) with a variety of different tops, which can all be mixed and matched with the skirts. Here I've opted for a bandana top, a t-shirt, a boho style crop top, a striped shirt and a waistcoat, most of which you probably own.

I love an all-white look, but the negative hue of course goes with everything, so it's the perfect blank canvas to add pops of colour too. Just add your favourite pair of sandals and a basket bag and you're good to go with the perfect summer look.

Shop my edit of white maxi skirts below, including the styles I'm wearing in the main image.

The bubble white maxi skirt

The denim white maxi skirt

The boho white maxi skirt

The straight white maxi skirt

The linen white maxi skirt

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.