Max Mara Resort 2023 collection brings a narrative of naïve love accompanied by unique Portuguese artistic expressions. Striking designs for independent and passionate women.
The Italian luxury brand Max Mara has been presenting its Resort collections in different locations and for the 2023 creations, Lisbon was the chosen spot to showcase the new pieces. The contrast between lush green gardens and the concrete architecture of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal’s capital was the perfect scenario to reveal the transitional collection.
Artistic manifestations were also the inspiration for the Resort 2023 concept. Natália Correia, a Portuguese intellectual, poet and social activist, is celebrated and revived by this collection. The Lenços de Namorados do Minho, which means handkerchiefs of love, are a Portuguese romantic tradition and a symbol of a conquest ritual. They are a poetic and artistic form used by girls of marriageable age who used to embroider squares of linen or cotton with messages and love symbols to win the heart of their beloved. Floor-sweeping dresses in taffeta fabric and pleats are the perfect medium to express the dramatic melody of traditional Fado music.
Hearts, flowers, ribbons and doves rendered in the sophisticated naïf style (a type of art that is conceived and produced by artists with no specific academic preparation) of the Lenços de Namorados appear in Max Mara’s prints and dressy crystal brooches. Working with local artisans, the brand created T-shirts inspired by the motifs of this tradition, carrying Max Mara’s own lines of love, which, in accordance with custom, begin with a heartfelt entreaty to reach the object of the sender’s affections. Vai Lenço Feliz (Go Happy Handkerchief) is the Resort 2023 message that delivers passion, happiness and power, so intrinsic to Max Mara’s beliefs. Images Courtesy of Max Mara. Photos by Jason Schmidt and Kuba.