MaxMara Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2011/2012

We started our second day of Milan Fashion Week with the MaxMara show, as did actress Katie Holmes. The wife of Tom Cruise was chosen by the label as it’s new Face of the Future (an award for talent, style and contribution to the community at large). The brand, which celebrates it’s sixtieth anniversary this year showed a solid, slightly minimalistic collection.

Clean belted coats appeared in shades of white, nude, beige and grey. Leather skirts were combined with shorter jackets, blouses and sweaters. The dresses were simple yet sophisticated. Some pants were small like leggings, others were ultra-wide and even look like skirts.

Several evening gowns were made out of checked blankets (with sequins that added extra glamour) with kilt buckles at the side. Though they looked super soft and comfy, the models could hardly walk in them.

Besides the sequined checks and buffalo prints all looks were very basic, quite the opposite of all the colorblocking we’ve seen so far.

It was a classic collection, on which many modern women will want to get their hands on.

Catwalktrend FW2010: the camelcoat

It’s a classic fashion piece you might remember seeing your grandparent in, but it’s a new trend. The camel coat is one of the musthave items of this fall. It gives you a strong look and immediate esteem.

Fashion brands like Gucci, Chloe, MaxMara and Alexander Wang all showed the camelcoat in their fall collections. Most of the coats were long (over the knee) and had little shape. Yet Chloe and MaxMara proved you can make the coat a little more feminine by wearing a small belt over it, around the waist. Dark brown seemed to be a good match for camel, not only for the belt, brown boots, gloves and bags fit perfectly with the coat too.

One thing: while the coats are so big this trend will not look great on just anybody. You’d have to have a certain length to pull of a coat like the ones we saw at MaxMara. But if your the right type, you gotta work it!

MaxMara Catwalk Fashion Show Milan FW2010

While the so-called ‘Face of the Future’, actress Zoe Saldana (from Avatar), attended the MaxMara show, the brand in fact returned to tradition. The traditional aspects of the collection were the silhouettes and the fabrics.

Long coats were the showpieces of the fall/winter collection, so hopefully it’ll become a cold winter. The coats came in cashmere and corduroy. From the waist down they resembled wide pleated skirts. They were so long, their fabric even touched the floor. The coats’ upper parts had some military influences: double breasted, epaulets and XL collars.

The models marched on the runway in high black boots. A few times their loose-fitting, high-waisted pants were tucked in those boots. Leather belts with big pockets attached, gave the collection a masculine touch. Fur mittens were a funny extra.

The second half of the collection the corduroy returned in a few tops.  It formed a great contrast with the golden lame dresses that quickly followed.

The last few pieces of the show looked like they’d taken the longest to make. A black skirt, dress and coat were beautifully embellished with shiny crystal flowers. These delicate items felt a bit Russian.

It seems like the military trend is up for a second season. Although we’ve already seen a lot of it, MaxMara’s ultra-long military coats were a pleasant surprise.