“There is something so different in Venice from any other place in the world that you leave at once all accustomed habits and everyday sights to enter an enchanted garden,” wrote Frankenstein author Mary Shelley about the floating city. It’s a sentiment shared by many, including Max Mara’s creative director Ian Griffiths.
Once a bustling metropolis atop the Adriatic Sea that served as a portal to other markets, Venetia is arguably where the trade of luxury commodities originated, establishing the exotic allure of foreign materials like cashmere and camel wool. As a purveyor of this old-world opulence, Griffiths found a muse in the fabled canals of this city, where he presented Max Mara’s Resort 2025 collection.
Naturally, the runway kicked off with signature tones of camel, black, white, and tan, along with rich cumin and burgundy hues. For over thirty years, the designer has helmed the Italian luxury house, driving its codes forward with clean lines and minimalism with character while maintaining its reverence and quality. With his latest feat, Griffiths leans into history, channelling a more classic sense of glamour through vintage silhouettes.
From ‘robes de Chambre’ to parkas via trenches and Tabarri, Resort 2025 serves up a feast of outerwear inspired by the rest of the world. Even the iconic Teddy Coat is reimagined with embellished seams. Coordinating sets, a staple of the brand, are more relaxed and voluminous this season, rendered in supple fabrics with tasselled drawstrings.
The city’s position as a gateway between cultures and markets strongly influenced its arts and architecture. Reflecting this, Max Mara presented patterns featuring stylised floral sprays and motifs associated with Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and the Chinese philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Mandarin collars, baroque prints, extravagant handkerchief cuffs and velvet pannier skirts also contributed to a melting pot of influences inspired by travel and trade. The crowning glory, though, was a series of turban-inspired headpieces, realised in collaboration with legendary milliner Stephen Jones.
Unfurling the nuanced ways in which garments can connect worlds, Griffiths once again demonstrates the infinite possibilities of outerwear and a tonal palette with an unwavering dedication to quality.
This article originally appeared on GRAZIA International.
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