Fifteen Max Mara Atelier coats were presented in Venice at the modernist Olivetti store, a spare, elegant space overlooking St. Mark’s Square, designed in 1958 by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. It was a fitting frame for the high-end offer, which showcased Max Mara’s industrial savoir faire augmented by artisanal handmade finishes.
The design team looked at the company’s archive, where the first image published in a magazine in 1953 was of a red coat—not the shade of camel that has become the label’s signature. Here, a discreet red detail was introduced as a sort of decorative thread—a stitching along the lining, a subtle motif inside a pocket, or the “M” monogram embroidered beneath a collar.
Each coat was designed to appeal to a variety of personal styles and body shapes, and they were all given a French name, to highlight a certain dégagé attitude of elegant nonchalance. Le Trench d’Hiver was a sartorial trench coat made in rich, soft nappa leather; a redingote in silk cady, L’Evasé, was gracefully form-fitting; another called Le Monsieur was inspired by the masculine style of the 1950s. The cocoon, the parka, the cardigan, and the overshirt were also offered in new versions, impeccably cut in lightweight double cashmere, alpaca, reversible shearling, or camel. The collection’s pièce de résistance was a round-shaped opera coat, crafted in dark green jacquard brocade, with golden threads giving off a subtle luminosity—an investment piece with handsome timeless appeal.
