By Beth J. Harpaz

AP Press Writer, New York

Beautiful, gorgeous and fabulous are words no one has ever used to describe my usual weekend outfit, which consists of a bleach-stained tank top and shorts. But those were some of the comments I got wearing a maxi dress on a recent Saturday.

That's right, a maxi dress, gown of choice for the likes of Stevie Nicks and Queen Guinevere. The $34.50 dress from Old Navy, with cap sleeves, an empire waistline and a swirly floral print of navy blue on white, was much more feminine than my typical attire and seemed a tad too festive to wear to run errands. I longed for a tea party invitation, or a '70s band to sing for.

But the longer I wore the dress, the more normal it seemed. And even though temperatures were in the 90s, I didn't feel hot. The dress is flatteringly silhouetted without being tight. The flowing skirt creates a breeze as it swings around your legs. The slip-on style eliminates pinchy zippers or buttons, and the cotton-blend fabric is light and comfortable. My usual Lycra top and tight-waisted shorts would have felt much stickier in the heat.

The day started with a comment from my fashion-blind husband, who can always be counted on to crash my Cinderella fantasies. As he beheld me at 8 a.m., resplendent in my maxi dress, he said, "New nightgown?"

Ignoring the illogic of donning a new nightgown first thing in the morning, I informed him that I was doing a trend test for my office by wearing a maxi dress. He regarded me with pity, as if I had drawn the short straw in an office pool to clean the coffeepot. "Looks like a housedress," he said.