Ian Griffiths relocated Max Mara to Stockholm in order to take advantage of the longer days in the Northern hemisphere little under two weeks before midsommar, often known as the longest day of the year. Even before this resort display began in the Bl hallen of the City Hall, which serves as the venue for the annual Nobel Banquet, the designer demonstrated that she was just as reflecting as the sun-dappled Baltic seas outside.

Due to the fact that Max Mara is a company that caters primarily to women and was established by Achille Maramotti in 1951 with the intention of enabling a new generation of economically independent women via the use of apparel, the collection required a fiercely feminist backstory. Griffiths, whose Stephen Fry-like expertise he admits is at least in part fuelled by Google, put this together by piecing together numerous different portions. He began by making references to the Vikings and folklore, claiming that there is evidence that the pillaging done by the Vikings was gender-equal. Next, he mentioned the “troublesome lesbian” Queen Christina of Sweden, followed by the progressive female protagonists of Ibsen (sometimes played by the supremely witchy Italian actress Eleonora Duse), the playwright’s contemporary real-life art-collecting Stockholm notables, and then Selma Lagerlof. This first-wave suffrage campaigner and prolific novelist became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in 1909 for her writing. She was also the first person to receive the prize.

The enduring genius of Griffiths is his ability to build his narratives from various and often opposing sources—complicated material—but then hone them into coherent collections that appeal regardless of whether you know (or care) about that source material. He stated that “the challenge you face when you combine all of these intellectual concepts is figuring out how to express them in clothes.” How does the concept of a self that is current and urban become expressed through a shirt? Simply posing this question was the first step towards finding the solution to this problem. The garments, on the other hand, appeared to be airy, elegant, and overtly youthful compared to the typical Max Mara collection. This was despite the fact that the Scandi presentation included a whirling melange of elements.

The message was made easier to understand by presenting the collection, with the exception of the show’s conclusion, in a monochromatic style reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s films. The hygge aspects, such as Fair Isle snowflakes on waffled knit ponchos, transitioned into the pagan elements, which included paper flower wreaths. The drawstring cord belt that was integrated into the house characteristic cashmere coat, which had a peaked collar and was cut in the lightest shade of camel, was bordered with the pompoms that offered lively punctuation throughout the range. Similarly, a sleeveless fitted jacket was decorated with fringed tassels that were drawn from traditional art.

There were a lot of off-the-shoulder gowns that looked faintly pre-Raphaelite and were perfect for Duse. These dresses had a shirred midriff and contrasted it with long sleeves and a big skirt. A Lagerlof plot that alluded to the gender conflict that existed in the early 20th century was played out in the ivory shirt worn with either a black pussy bow or an undone bow tie. The elevated flat boots were a consistent theme throughout the collection. These boots were worn with slim-fitting vests and slacks, silk shirts and boxers, and boxers. These items were worn above the elevated flat boots. The mohair fringed sequin check was given in the form of a bomber jacket and a sweatshirt, respectively in black and white.

Crystal grosgrain border was added to colour-blocked gowns in place of the traditional criss-cross stitching that was found on smucked silk shirt-dresses. This was the prelude to a floral finale that included the seven flowers that, according to legend, one ought to gather on the eve of Midsummer and then lay under one’s pillow before going to sleep in order to have a dream reveal the identity of the person with whom one is destined to spend the rest of one’s life. They garlanded organza shirts and boxers, layered suits, a vest-top midi, and a number of lovely full dresses, none of which could quite legitimately be classified as a gown. The designs were either embroidered or created using jacquard. This is noteworthy because of the fact that the Max Mara runway playlist almost often includes a gown of some description, specifically something majestic and significant. Because of these travelling resort performances, which are currently in their fifth season, the house is gaining the courage to tell new stories in order to shed a fresh light on itself. As a result, a new generation of women have become interested in the house’s activities.

The Collection