Max Mara Opened Fashion Week El Paseo With “Utility Glamour”

The finale look from the Max Mara runway show.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Fashion Week El Paseo kicked off its seven-night run in style Friday evening as the latest collections from renowned Italian fashion house Max Mara commanded the runway. “Utility Glamour” is the term this luxury label uses to describe its Spring/Summer 2024 designs, and although the words sound contradictory, a few minutes into the program, the descriptor began to make perfect sense.

A tribute to empowerment, Max Mara’s advertising campaign this season recalls the utilitarian romance of women called to work the land during the 1940s. The Women’s Land Army (WLA) boosted Britain’s food production during World War II; the women were known as “Land Girls.” Workwear classics are the inspiration for Max Mara’s new perspective on glamour.

Beige outfit with a chunky knit.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY CLARK

Black matching set.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Model wears a black dress.
PHOTO BY NICOLE JARAMILLO

Model strikes a pose backstage.
PHOTO BY NICOLE JARAMILLO

Moody music accompanied models’ thoughtful strides as the first few appeared wearing black ensembles. An oversized menswear-inspired cotton shirt with an omnipresent untied bow tie paired with roomy shorts. That gave way to a smocked off-the-shoulder wool dress. Soon, a silky blouse and wide-leg trouser combo appeared, confirming a trend many already recognize. Wide-leg trousers are definitely IN!

Despite the proliferation of straight-up black, monochromatic white, and ever-so-elegant black-and-white prints on display, there were also plentiful pops of color to brighten proceedings. An oversized cotton drill blouse in a lovely shade of mauve paired with short shorts in complementary wisteria, both featuring deep pockets. The latter detail dovetails with the utilitarian nature of clothes the original “Land Girls” wore. A backless canvas midi with an apron-bib front in cornflower blue kept the workwear aesthetic going.

BUY TICKETS: Fashion Week El Paseo continues through March 21.

The signature tan and cream tones associated with Max Mara were also prominently showcased, accompanied by a deep shade of tobacco, adding richness to the palette. A ribbed cable-knit sweater worn with knit shorts featured a color best described as very light khaki. A short gabardine trench coat in beige paired with skinny pants, proving slim-leg trousers co-exist alongside wider styles for those not ready to succumb.

Silk dress.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE POLLY

Utility influences aside, Max Mara recognizes this is a resort area after all, and in that sense, the fashion house did not disappoint. Halter dresses drew appreciative applause as they flounced down the runway. A fluid ankle-length silk dress with deeply slitted sides in a black-and-white abstract print with a solid-black hemline was a particular favorite. Meanwhile, a long sleeveless and backless dress in white cotton epitomized cool, calm, and collected and still managed to incorporate the bespoke apron-bib front.

Striped dresses, delicate florals, and other varied prints had their moment in the spotlight, but the true showstopper came in the form of a strapless bustier dress in patterned chiffon that closed out the show. Floor length, it was the shade of café au lait printed with a wispy navy floral design, and as the model later revealed backstage, it even has pockets. But then, many Max Mara designs do — it’s practically a trademark of a brand that manages to combine fashion with utility with looks to suit every figure and fancy.

Find your new Max Mara ensemble during the Max Mara Trunk Show: Saturday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Saks Fifth Avenue, located at The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert. The trunk show is free and open to the general public.