At the tail end of Milan fashion week, it was refreshing to witness a collection that made no reference to the eighties. The more obvious trend-driven route is one the MaxMara team might ve gone as recently as last season, but for now it looks as though they re making a concerted effort to return to the brand s roots. Subtle luxury being this label s original stock in trade, the emphasis today was on classics—coats, above all, in sumptuous fabrics like cashmere, alpaca, and camel s hair. (The company also introduced Atelier, a new limited-edition line of coats earlier in the week.)
If you re shopping for a trench come fall, MaxMara could just be your go-to house. But there were other keepers as well, in particular a tobacco-brown coat in double-face cashmere with deeply cuffed short kimono sleeves. Attention was paid to the neckline of jackets: Slightly oversize boyfriend blazers in charcoal and beige distinguished themselves by their tucked-under lapels; other single- and double-breasted options wrapped around the neck almost like scarves.
The show wasn t entirely free of styling tricks—silk slips peeking below the hems of otherwise office-ready dresses and Amelia Earhart-worthy fur bonnets being the two most notable offenders. But overall, this collection showed MaxMara playing to its strengths.
