This season at Milan Fashion Week, Max Mara and Sportmax unveiled collections that showcased two distinct yet complementary visions of modern femininity. Aimee Yan reports

Max Mara

The collection revisits 18th-century decorative vocabulary and reworks it into streamlined, everyday wear. The collection takes the opulence and intricacy of the Rococo style and translates it into subtle details that can be worn with ease. In terms of celebrity highlights, Maude Apatow attended the Max Mara show and is also the 20th recipient of the annual WIF Max Mara Face of the Future Award.

Back to the collection and at its core, Max Mara has always been about practical luxury: durable trench coats, impeccably tailored outerwear, and ready-to-wear defined by fabric quality and cut. This season, those foundations remain intact. What changes is the layer added on top—soft, ornamental touches drawn from Rococo, used as embellishment rather than replacement. In other words, the classics are still here, but with softer details and a heightened sense of drama that never overwhelms.

The most striking approach this season is the juxtaposition of structure and lightness. Timeless tailoring is paired with voluminous, sculptural accents. A trench coat, for example, retains Max Mara’s clean lines and premium fabric. But the shoulders bloom into intricate folds reminiscent of gilded acanthus leaves or bird plumage, adding an unexpected visual flourish. A pencil skirt is reimagined with a sheer crest at the hips, resembling the regalia of a sea creature, bringing motion and breath to its strict silhouette.

Fabric choices emphasise transparency and layering. Organza is cut into hundreds of fragments and reconstructed into skirts that ripple like petals or sea anemones. Sheer tulle, airy silks, and lustrous satins alternate within a single look, creating textures that feel both tender and commanding.

The color palette leans toward muted softness: cream, pale beige, and deep coffee tones. These natural hues echo the subtle palettes favored in Rococo art while also maintaining Max Mara’s signature restraint.

Closer inspection reveals modern counterpoints woven into the romanticism. Black elastic belts and harness-like strapsnot only ground the collection in functionality but also add a sharp visual contrast.

Prints, too, carry a layered sensibility. Inspired by the 18th-century cabinet des curiosités, the motifs are not straightforward Rococo reproductions. Instead, flora and fauna from land, sea, and sky appear as multi-layered prints on sheer fabrics, creating the illusion of patterns floating above the surface.

Sportmax

This season, Sportmax staged its show at Milan’s Frigoriferi Milanesi. The setting became a metaphor for “restoration” and “vision” as the designer juxtaposed solid tailoring with weightless fabrics, reflecting the rhythm of city women’s lives, a balance between grounding stability and the desire to breathe freely.

A key focus of the season is how materials respond to light. Sheer fabrics like tulle and organza appeared throughout, as trench coat linings, as layered trousers, and even sculpted into skirts. Their delicateness contrasted with structured tailoring and dense leathers, creating a dramatic interplay.

The colour palette emphasised softness and transparency: creamy whites, pale beiges, and richer notes of bloody red and denim, and more. Inspirations came from the textures of cosmetics – lipstick and nail polish glosses translated into layered prints. Florals emerged as another central motif: first hand-painted with makeup, then reinterpreted through overlapping organza layers.

Three-dimensional details deserve special attention. Florals were not confined to prints—leather was molded into sculptural blooms, embellishing bodices, straps, and accessories. These tactile accents added ornamentation while maintaining everyday wearability.

Also see: Highlights of New York Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2026