In his tenth year as Max Mara’s creative director, Ian Griffiths once again proves himself to be an adept adherent of the brand’s classic formulas. Max Mara has always stood out as a brand undeniably true to itself—it may not be particularly experimental, but it knows exactly who the Max Mara woman is. As ever, this year’s Max Mara woman is chic, sophisticated, and a lover of the classics: classic colors, classic silhouettes, and classic fabrics. Griffiths’ formidable skill is his ability to send several relatively similar looks down the runway, season after season, without inspiring boredom. Attended by celebrities like Heart Evangelista and Leighton Meester, the Spring/Summer 2027 Max Mara show did exactly what it says on the tin.
This year’s tin undeniably had a vintage, safari-inspired twist. The runway was dominated by classic mid-century silhouettes such as high-waisted trousers and halter necks. Several looks included a wide, airplane-buckle-style belt at the waist, straight out of Meryl Streep’s iconic 1985 film Out of Africa. The second look, in particular, could have been plucked straight out of a (very chic) safari ranger’s closet. Throughout the rest of the collection, the outdoorsy belt adds a touch of cool to an otherwise elegant collection. This allows the Max Mara woman to consistently look modern and relaxed, rather than simply well put together or, God forbid, preppy. The Max Mara woman is not preppy.
Look fifteen is another notable example of the safari-inspired belt being put to good use—it breaks up the otherwise clean, minimalist line of the outfit, making the whole thing a lot more relaxed and easygoing. Griffiths is clearly an expert in accessories, choosing them sparingly but well.
Some looks lean more obviously mid-century than others—looks ten and twenty-five, for example, both featuring slim-fitting halter-neck tops, could have been plucked straight off a 1950s starlet. Other looks clearly take inspiration from the power suits of the 1980s, styled slightly oversized and with popped collars, such as look twelve. The details at the midsection and high-waisted silhouettes clearly mark them out as members of the same collection, despite their temporally disparate inspirations. This is vintage inspiration used well: always relaxed, always understated, and never leaning towards caricature.
Griffiths’ collection isn’t all an ode to the classics, however. The second half of the collection becomes increasingly contemporary, the Max Mara woman not being one to shy away completely from trends. Look twenty-two, for example, is made up of a gauze jumpsuit, cinched once again at the waist with a black, safari-inspired belt. The look is distinctly sportier and edgier than the rest of the collection, but its neutral color palette and high-waisted silhouette make it cohesive nonetheless.
