For Spring, the Max Mara design team went on safari. This is territory so well trod by fashion it's practically trampled. It nonetheless served the brand well. This was a successful collection that played to the company's heritage as a maker of fine outerwear. The silhouette was oversized, loose, and slightly slouched forward, so that the buttons on double-breasted coats sat lower on the torso than they normally would. Coupled with sleeves that were often rolled up to nearly the shoulders, it was an elongating look. If the sheer gazars and organzas the coats were cut in seem unlikely to make it onto the selling floor, at least without the addition of linings, Max Mara no doubt has more practical materials at its disposal.
Complementing the outerwear were pencil skirts worn with graphic knit T-shirts or blouson tops in patchworks of plaid, florals, and animal print. There were also safari jackets-turned-dresses and take-your-pick all-in-ones cut flightsuit-tight or slouchy with gaucho-style pants. The palette was desert tones and sky blues. We didn't need to see each look in multiple color variations; by the end, the show felt repetitive. Still, there wasn't one piece that couldn't have believably marched off the runway and into the street.
