June 30, 2021 |
If the last 16 months have made us nostalgic for travel, escapism and unadulterated fabulousness, Ian Griffiths hit the spot at his Max Mara Resort 22 show. Inspired by Truman Capote’s 1950 essay on the island, Local Color, he whisked guests off to Ischia and made everyone feel like one of the infamous writer’s swans.
In the middle of three days of festivities that celebrated the best the island has to offer – speedboats to festoon-lit dinners, swimming off the rocky coast of neighbouring Procida, lunch at the legendary La Lampara – came his 45-look show staged at the legendary Mezzatore Hotel – which if it existed in the middle of the last century, Capote would no doubt have been one of its most passionate patrons.
If Babe Paley, Lee Radziwill, Marella Agnelli et al were around now, this collection is what they would be wearing, too. Loose silhouettes and relaxed tailoring came in ivory white and classic Max Mara camel that are perfect for modern jet-setting; macramé leather and canvas holdalls certainly big enough for an overnight island hop; and a line of floral-printed fuchsia Capri pants and tunics perfect for lounging on board and as juicy as the Bougainvillaea that is the unofficial emblem of the island.
Griffiths was thinking about a new generation of Swans with this beautiful collection – he told us after the show that they’re Max Mara swans so even better because they do it all on their own.
“I think the Max Mara woman has reached a point in her life where she can, despite her busy life, aim for the same elegance as those women who spent all their days worrying about place setting or a nail colour.”
As Griffiths beloved Italy moves out of lockdown, the world he creates is certainly something to aspire to.
Photography courtesy of Max Mara.
