For Max Mara Spring 2024, Manual Labor Is Only a Point of Inspiration
Max Mara has gone noticeably casual and utilitarian for Spring 2024.
Titled "An Army of Women," the Italian luxury label's latest collection was inspired by the Women's Land Army, a British organization of ladies who worked jobs in agriculture while men were called to war. They were also called "Land Girls."
"Contemporary photographs and newsreels show the land girls as rosy-cheeked goddesses in the idyllic landscape," read the romanticizing show notes, which describe the collection as "utility glamour."
This means the brand's signature, high-quality wardrobe essentials have been designed through a workwear lens: Soft wools and silks are replaced by sturdy cottons that probably would hold up over long days spent harvesting crops, while luxurious tailored outerwear is replaced by boxy chore coats and oversized military-style jackets, office-ready suiting swapped for overalls and jumpsuits. Instead of more traditional trousers, there are jodhpurs and carpenter pants, and in the place of gowns there are apron dresses with sturdy suspenders. While there are a number of practical leather handbags in the collection, they're rendered unnecessary by an abundance of pockets on just about every garment.
Color-wise, it's not all camel: There are plenty of neutrals (grey, olive green, khaki), but there are also a number of purples, pinks, blues and bright greens — referencing "the flowers on the riotous sweet peas in a midsummer cottage garden," per the show notes.
Spring 2024's point of inspiration is certainly quaint and charming, but, of course, Max Mara's (stealthily) wealthy customers would never be found working the land in a rural setting. The brand knows this, framing this as a collection for, essentially, plant-obsessed millennial city dwellers.
"The theme may be pastoral, but this is a collection dedicated to the big city girl and the modern mania for horticulture; have you noticed that every spare square foot of the urban landscape is suddenly a garden?" the show notes read. "Those high-heeled strappy sandals were made for strutting the sidewalk, not turning the earth."
See every look from Max Mara's Spring 2024 collection below.
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Max Mara Spring 2024. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
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