As everyone in fashion knows, runways are a big deal. Your
first runway? One you will never forget.
Mine happened at an invite only event in luxury department
store Fenwick. The lead up to the runway consisted of a mother and daughter day
out in Newcastle, pondering the contents of the illusive runway gift bag. I
assumed diamonds, a Mini Cooper and an iPhone. My mam thought a bag of Haribo
sweets would be their limit.
The champagne reception was followed by finding a seat,
front row I might add, and having a rummage through the goodie bags given to
us; Armani samples and a cream which promises to remove any unsightly ‘bulges’.
There were no jewel encrusted Mini’s to be seen. Max Mara’s London team had
arranged a private showing to a select few of its autumn winter 2012
collection. The show featured Sportmax Code, Weekend Max Mara, Max Mara Studio
and their main line, which handily were readily available to purchase after the
show.
Each of the four models wore one outfit from each of the
four collections, and boy were they good. As soon as each model approached the
catwalk, my mam would turn to me and say how much she loved the coat, dress,
trousers…basically the entire collection. With luscious rare alpaca cashmere,
up to four different kinds of silk, and the most beautiful cuts you can
imagine, this collection was certainly bang on trend, timeless, and needs to
get in my wardrobe right now (student loan permitting).
Everything about the collection screamed luxury Italian
design, but each piece was merged softly with another culture, country or
theme. One collection reflected world cities, including London’s swinging 60’s
scene, Edinburgh’s preppy science roots, and Switzerland’s snowy mountains and
need to ski. I was quite pleasantly surprised by this, as from research into
the brand they seemed to be aimed at an older audience, but this runway has
changed my mind. Max Mara cleverly makes pieces which mother and daughter could
wear, but have their own style imprinted on the outfit. Same dress, different
looks.
As one last piece of temptation we were told about an
exclusive offer; a free scarf with any purchase. It had to be done, so now I am
the proud owner of a Max Mara navy top covered in sparkly diamantés.
By Sarah Stothard
