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.
