The Intellectual, Colorful, and Chic Embrace
Max Mara presented the FW25 collection during Milan Fashion Week, offering a journey through literature, tailoring, and sophisticated elegance. The collection, designed by creative director Ian Griffiths, revolves around four essential pillars: an evocative color palette, the reinterpreted redingote coat, structured skirts, and knitwear designed to envelop and protect. The result is a wardrobe rich in historical and artistic references, capable of expressing a perfect balance between past and contemporary fashion.
A Color Palette Inspired by the English Countryside
The collection’s shades recall the melancholic landscapes of Yorkshire, home of the Brontë sisters. It starts with warm beige tones, reminiscent of the English countryside stones, transitioning into a range of colors that ignite with hues of red berries, moss green, and autumnal fern brown. Tweed, a fabric symbolic of British tradition, takes center stage with its seemingly rough texture that, upon touch, reveals an incredibly soft and refined feel. Color choices are intentional, paying tribute to a landscape that has inspired some of the greatest classics in literature.
The Redingote Coat: Elegance and Modernity
Coat has always been a distinctive element of Max Mara, and in this collection, it takes on a new dimension through the redingote, an aristocratic outerwear piece reinterpreted in a contemporary key. With its slim silhouette, rigorous tailoring structure, and sophisticated design, it stands as an iconic garment that evolves to meet the needs of the modern woman.
The hood, crafted from the same fabric as the coat, is not just a functional detail but transforms into a decorative element, wrapping softly around the neck like a scarf. The fitted waistline flares elegantly at the hem, while the quilted interior adds comfort without sacrificing elegance. Leather or shearling sleeves create a bold material contrast, emphasizing the strength and character of the wearer.
Structured Skirts: Movement and Femininity
Skirts play a pivotal role in the collection, offered in two main silhouettes. The first is the full-circle skirt, wide and dramatic, gently opening at the front to reveal matching culottes and ribbed tights. The second is the column skirt, with its strict and essential lines, designed for a woman who seeks timeless elegance. Both versions are crafted from Max Mara’s finest fabrics, which provide volume and structure without the need for rigid supports, thus enhancing the natural fluidity of movement.
Enveloping Knitwear: A Warm and Sophisticated Embrace
The knitwear in this collection is designed to protect and envelop. It offers a sense of comfort without compromising elegance. Long cardigans are reimagined as coats. Meanwhile, knit dresses, with or without hoods, enhance the figure with their fluid and refined design.
Mouliné yarns, with their rich textures, create sweaters that reinterpret the Victorian corset. This modernized version fuses tradition and innovation.
The prominence of knitwear in various forms confirms Max Mara’s commitment to material research. The brand aims to create garments that are not only beautiful to look at but also pleasant to wear. Next winter will be defined by warm, enveloping, and soft pieces. They will convey a sense of protection and sophistication.
The Brontë Sisters: Literary Inspiration and Symbolism
A narrative thread runs through the entire collection, leading directly to the universe of the Brontë sisters. The inspiration comes particularly from Wuthering Heights, a novel that embodies passion, restlessness, and inner strength. This connection becomes even more relevant with the announcement of the new film adaptation directed by Emerald Fennell, set to be released next year.
Max Mara celebrates this literary world through a collection that tells the story of the duality of the contemporary heroine. She is a woman who is strong and determined, building her path with intelligence and rationality. Yet, she does not deny her emotional dimension.
Like the Brontë protagonists, the Max Mara woman follows the voice of her heart. She uses elegance as a means to express her complex and multifaceted personality.
Rationality and Passion: The Heart of the Collection
The FW25 collection represents a perfect fusion of rationality and passion, strength and emotion. The Max Mara woman, while independent and pragmatic, does not fear showing her more emotional and instinctive side. This balance is reflected in the choice of shapes, fabrics, and colors, which narrate a story of determination, sensitivity, and modern romanticism.
One question remains: can a color palette and meticulous tailoring research successfully convey such a profound message over time? Or is there a risk that this approach becomes repetitive, leading to the saturation of an already established aesthetic? Max Mara’s response seems clear: fashion is in constant evolution, and true elegance is never repetition but rather a timeless reinterpretation.
