MAX Mara’s AW23 collection was inspired by the Age of Reason, a period when ideas spread swiftly thanks to the proliferation of coffee houses. The brand pays homage to the Marquise Émilie du Châtelet, whose metaphysical masterpiece paved the way for critical changes in the Enlightenment era. The collection emphasizes the importance of shedding prejudice to achieve happiness, a principle that Émilie championed.
As a woman in a male-dominated field, Châtelet had to shout to be heard, but this only added fuel to her fire. She believed that excluding women from the sciences was a form of masculine injustice that should serve as a way to prevent them from producing bad books. In Max Mara’s narrative, Châtelet rejects the convoluted and restrictive styles of the day, which bear the apotropaic traces of a darker time.
The collection features rich brocade fabrics, side-hoops, bustiers, and chemises acccentuated with sharp Newtonian precision and complemented by minimalistic turtlenecks and chunky boots. Over the knee or ankle, pannier skirts are characterized by their antiquated drawstrings and athletic pockets. The collection included a military greatcoat, a snappy little party dress, and a camel-colored fishtail parka that reverses to an opulent damask with the Watteau back, a trademark of modern court costumes.
Max Mara is inspired by a cast of costumed characters, including the gentleman en deshabille with a soft swagger of an overcoat, the neat notary with hair tied with a black ribbon, the debonair officer with a cape or a coat worn rakishly on one shoulder, and the imperious duke with a grand cloak worn a la mode. It wasn’t uncommon for Châtelet to dress as a man so she could visit coffee shops frequented by the era’s leading thinkers and philosophers.
Voltaire described Émilie as a great man whose only fault was being born a woman, but in today’s society, her gender no longer conflicts with her talent. Max Mara’s collection pays tribute to Madame du Châtelet and women like her, who used their sharp intellect to bring about change. The collection blends reason and order with a touch of romance, honouring the Camelocracy.
by Zlata Kryudor