The Five Takeaways From Max Mara At Milan Fashion Week

Both Hadid sisters walked.

Gigi Hadid walking at Max Mara

by Natalie Hammond |
Updated on

Max Mara's latest show was a typically timeless homage to Sophie Taeuber-Arp, the modernist architect, dancer, textile designer, painter and sculptor who was a contemporary of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Guillaume Apollinaire. Meeting at Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire, Taeuber-Arp and her fellow artists of the avant-garde created an astonishing new aesthetic: Dada. Max Mara's silhouettes - surprisingly bold in their simplicity - are articulated with just as much aplomb as King Stag, Taeuber-Arp's most famous work.

Big Strides

A model on the catwalk at Max Mara
©Max Mara

Trousers got the supersized treatment, turning into swishing strides that pooled around flat ankle boots. As long as there aren't any puddles, we're in.

Snuggle Up

A model on the catwalk at Max Mara
©Max Mara

Super-long sweater dresses - worn with knitted balaclavas and gloves - are the best way to stay snuggly when temperatures reach sub-zero.

Bum Bag

A model on the catwalk at Max Mara
©Max Mara

Expect to see the brand's take on the bum bag - part bag, part hand-warmer - on a lucky few next winter. Can you imagine anything more snuggly?

The XL Glove

A model on the catwalk at Max Mara
©Max Mara

The elbow-length glove made an elegant appearance at Max Mara (ditto at Fendi). It's a shortcut to easy glamour, especially when styled with a sweater vest so that just a slice of upper arm is exposed to the elements.

The Modern Biker

A model on the catwalk at Max Mara
©Max Mara

The biker jacket is big news this season - and next. Max Mara's take - in egg yolk yellow - feels as fresh as a daisy.

Gallery

SEE: The Highlights From MFW AW22

Giorgio Armani1 of 48

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani, out of respect for the people involved in the situation in Ukraine, decided against using music in his show on Sunday, letting his models, instead, walk in silence.

Giorgio Armani2 of 48

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani3 of 48

Giorgio Armani

Dolce & Gabbana4 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana clearly had one decade on the mind: the '80s, where power shoulders and poses reigned supreme. (The sheer tights - sans toes - were a modern touch that we can imagine all the street-stylers copying next season).

Dolce & Gabbana5 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana6 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Dolce & Gabbana

Jil Sander7 of 48

Jil Sander

Jil Sander is the ultimate in stealth wealth style. 'Every piece is self-standing, iconic, and executed with exceptional artistry, in sumptuous wools and silks,' read the show notes - and we couldn't agree more, from the tailoring (elevated with a knotted waist) to the outerwear in the most pleasing selection of neutrals.

Jil Sander8 of 48

Jil Sander

Jil Sander9 of 48

Jil Sander

Versace10 of 48

Versace

A high-octane energy was felt at Versace, where this season's woman, 'fully owns her allure and knows exactly when to unleash her power'. Midnight black latex and frayed tweeds met their super-sexy matches in the form of cropped silk bustiers and punky pearl necklaces, while the LBD, as seen on Precious Lee, was recast as the ultimate way to be a 'regal rebel'.

Versace11 of 48

Versace

Versace12 of 48

Versace

Gucci13 of 48

Gucci

With the best front row at Milan Fashion Week - Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Serena Williams, Jared Leto and Francis Bourgeois - Gucci's show delivered another (soon-to-be) sell-out collaboration, this time with Adidas. Double-breasted suits were upgraded with the sportswear giant's signature stripes, knitwear came emblazoned with the combined logo and sporty knit dresses were 'Guccified'. Expect big things (and waiting lists) when it launches later this spring.

Gucci14 of 48

Gucci

Gucci15 of 48

Gucci

Etro16 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Etro

Etro's collection, with its usual celebration of craftsmanship, had plenty of bravura, from the printed combat trousers tucked into studded cowboy boots to the battered aviator jackets worn over leopard-spotted crop tops.

Etro17 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Etro

Etro18 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Etro

Sportmax19 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Sportmax

Sportmax's catwalk was the hottest of hot pinks - ironic, perhaps, considering that most of the collection was vampy red, midnight black or simmeringly sexy beige (yes, really). The vinyl dress - worn with a pair of gloves that only covered the fingers - was very good indeed.

Sportmax20 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Sportmax

Sportmax21 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Sportmax

Missoni22 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Missoni

Having walked in Roberto Cavalli, it didn't come as much of a shock that Iris Law, with her bleach blonde crop, also appeared at Missoni. The collection embraced the oversized and the exuberant. Wide-leg strides were worn with baggy (but elegantly so) jumpers, while bright yellows, greens and reds were spotted in abundance.

Missoni23 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Missoni

Missoni24 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Missoni

Tod's25 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Tod's

Tod's always designs some of the best outerwear in Milan - stealth wealth leather coats; wrap coats; quilted coats; single-breasted 'means-business' coats - but this season, it was the knitwear that made fashion editors sit up and pay listen, from the variegated-knit puffer jacket worn over a chunky polo neck to the fringed cape fastened over a leather biker jacket (big news).

Tod's26 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Tod's

Tod's27 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Tod's

Moschino28 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Moschino

One of fashion's greatest showman - Jeremy Scott, who last season showed in New York - made a grand return to Milan. And this season, in typically kitsch and surreal fashion, he was musing on the idea of a well-appointed house. The kind of objects one might find - baroque-style picture frames, stately armoires, grandfather clocks and chandeliers - appeared, as you can probably guess, as cartoonishly theatrical clothes. Brava.

Moschino29 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Moschino

Moschino30 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Moschino

Emporio Armani31 of 48

Emporio Armani

Milan is the capital of glamour. But to Mr. Armani, the word has become synonymous with 'sparkle, seduction and allure.' Instead, for AW22, he wanted to take glamour back to its roots, 'personal charm', delivering a pared-back but polished collection of muted greys, which enveloped the body as outerwear, Mr. Armani's take on loungewear (read: chic) and effortless eveningwear in the form of the LBD (long black dress).

Emporio Armani32 of 48

Emporio Armani

Emporio Armani33 of 48

Emporio Armani

Prada34 of 48

Prada

With a mega-watt front row - Euphoria's Storm Reid, Sex Education's Emma Mackey, Shtisel's Shira Haas - and highly 'grammable invitations (the label sent pastel-hued silk pyjamas to attending editors), Prada was just major as always. All the street style stars were wearing last-season's biker jackets and satin miniskirts. Next season's cult buys? The logoed tank tops (which opened and closed the show, no less) and the feathered jackets (spotted on Kendall Jenner).

Prada35 of 48

Prada

Prada36 of 48

Prada

Max Mara37 of 48

Max Mara

Max Mara's latest show was a typically timeless homage to Sophie Taeuber-Arp, the modernist architect, dancer, textile designer, painter and sculptor who was a contemporary of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Guillaume Apollinaire. Meeting at Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire, Taeuber-Arp and her fellow artists of the avant-garde created an astonishing new aesthetic: Dada. Max Mara's silhouettes - surprisingly bold in their simplicity - are articulated with just as much aplomb as King Stag, Taeuber-Arp's most famous work.

Max Mara38 of 48

Max Mara

Max Mara39 of 48

Max Mara

Roberto Cavalli40 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Roberto Cavalli

Vintage Roberto Cavalli is having a revival - Rihanna owns a sheer maxi skirt from 2003 - so it made sense that yesterday's show felt like a celebration of the house's most enduring hits. Iris Law, another fan of vintage, opened the show in a choker minidress with a caged neckline that had undertones of Anne Boleyn. Naturally, plenty of big cat prints followed - the tiger-striped slip gets a mention for its not-so-subtle sex appeal - as well as leather bandeau tops that are definitely here to stay thanks to Julia Fox.

Roberto Cavalli41 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Roberto Cavalli

Roberto Cavalli42 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Roberto Cavalli

Alberta Ferretti43 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Alberta Ferretti

Alberta Ferretti stuck to its guns for autumn - delivering a boho-luxe wardrobe in a sumptuous colour palette of amethyst, peacock and gun-metal grey, the latter of which appeared as silvery trousers and a swooping caped gown.

Alberta Ferretti44 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Alberta Ferretti

Alberta Ferretti45 of 48
CREDIT: Getty

Alberta Ferretti

Fendi46 of 48

Fendi

Kim Jones raided the archives for AW22, inspired by Delfina Delettrez, who one day walked into the brand's headquarters wearing a printed blouse borrowed from her mother's wardrobe. Intrigued, he looked back to SS86, a famous collection of Karl Lagerfeld's. He reworked its prints, while copying the diaphanous lightness of another collection, AW00. 'It's a wardrobe designed for every aspect of a woman's life, for every generation,' says Jones. 'And it all started with Delfina.' Bella Hadid opened the show wearing a wisp of chiffon as a slip dress (worn with elbow-length cashmere gloves); Bibi Abdulkadir, meanwhile, emerged in a whip-smart leather minidress. 'There is always a story behind each piece, something a little different,' says Silvia Venturini Fendi.

Fendi47 of 48

Fendi

Fendi48 of 48

Fendi

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us