Not entirely unlike fashion before the enlightenment of social media, the Dark Ages of Medieval history are cloaked in mystery and misunderstanding today. Ian Griffiths has been designing at Max Mara since the bygone year of 1987, so a recent visit to the ancient Anglo-Saxon site of Sutton Hoo naturally struck a chord. He said: “I was so impressed by the beauty of the medieval objects, and thought about how what are known as the Dark Ages really weren’t so dark at all. We disregard them, but there was such beauty, craft and durability to the objects of that period.”
This thought led him back to Max Mara, whose garments are so expertly made and finely shaped that they tend to have extremely long lives. Although Griffiths himself did not venture this, his is also a house whose discretion and maturity means it is sometimes overlooked. He stated: “I wanted to make a point about not only the durability and sustainability of Max Mara clothes, but also the desirability of something that grows old gracefully—as we all should.” That translated into a collection whose architecture often echoed the source aesthetic of his inspiration, but whose lush materials and precise fabrication were very much drawn from the Max Mara canon.
Tunics, tabards and T-shirts in suede coloured a tarnished, armour-like grey came studded with rivets. A historically romantic mantle, a long camel cashmere cloak with suede shoulder pads, was closely followed by its more contemporary equivalent of a bonded cashmere hoodie. Collarless brushed teddy coats were closed by leather straps and fastenings. Boots were flat soled, square toed, and shafted in supple ripplings of suede that rose up above the knee. A floor-length habit in brown cashmere wool was patched at the shoulder with more suede. A wide-lapelled, kimono-sleeved teddy coat in ivory had a sweeping and vaguely medieval magnificence that synced with Griffith’s cited muse of Matilde di Canossa. Many of the looks came with long suede gauntlets.
Griffith’s historical touches were applied with a deft lightness as seasonal signposts towards the timelessness that Max Mara telegraphs. There were several variations of the 101801 coat, including a hooded parka hybrid in charcoal cashmere and a beltless version in camel. There were new fabrications of Max Mara’s take on the trucker jacket and double-breasted suiting, and fitted sheath dresses in rib Lurex-touched knit. These were all pieces that could be incorporated into a wardrobe today and cherished in years to come—not as relics, but as wearable warhorses of the modern day-to-day.
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