Max Mara Pre-Fall 2024
For a creative director used to shedding light on historical female figures from arts and science, Ian Griffiths took an unexpected route for pre-fall 2024 by looking to a male artist for inspiration.
His starting point was Alexander Calder’s “Cirque Calder” artwork displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
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Griffiths said it was his starting point for a “simple, optimistic and easy-to-understand message” and a concise and focused collection with some playful twists.
The 1920s circus-themed artwork and its hundreds of tiny-scaled figures and props in wire, wood, cloth and metal inspired Griffiths to address different characters in his pre-fall lineup. He also drew parallels between Calder’s kinetic art and the Max Mara woman’s urban lifestyle.
His collection featured short proportions, leggy, uncomplicated silhouettes and flashy patterns such as leopard prints, maxi polka dots and bold stripes.
Dresses juxtaposed loose, rounded shapes in the upper parts with tight short skirts, save for a single, ankle-grazing style in an eye-catching spotty print.
The spots also covered a pair of twill shorts accentuating the hips and a sarong-like miniskirt that came with a shirt cut like a mannish blazer. It struck a nice balance between masculine and feminine.
Suits were graphic and appealing, with variations going from a little white jacket with puffed shoulders to a black, double-breasted blazer with rounded sleeves. In Griffiths’ vision, the styles were meant to evoke ringmasters, but were considerably more demure and sophisticated.
The designer injected a fun touch, playing with ruffles and exaggerated volumes on sleeves in a series of striped sweaters, shirtdresses in poplin and knits.
The grand act was, of course, outerwear. There were soft trenches and classic Max Mara coats in new fabrics, including a technical jersey with a mesh appearance. These were smart choices that telegraphed the brand’s authority in the category while addressing the season’s transitional weather.
Launch Gallery: Max Mara Pre-Fall 2024
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