Max Mara Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear : Brontëan Romance Meets Modern Utility

Feb 28

For Fall 2025, Ian Griffiths invited us into a world where literary heroines roam windswept landscapes, exuding both restraint and wild abandon. “I was trying to balance between Jane Eyre and her demure self-control and Catherine Earnshaw and her untrammeled wild passion,” he mused pre-show. The result? A Max Mara collection that channeled the Brontë sisters’ protagonists into a modern-day aesthetic—think heroine chic, reimagined for the contemporary woman.

Drawing inspiration from the stormy skies and rugged stone walls of Yorkshire’s moorlands, Griffiths found a kindred spirit in Max Mara’s signature cashmere. The collection’s palette echoed this windswept terrain, with the house’s iconic “Casha”—a cold, steely gray—emerging as the defining shade. But before we delved into the depths of misty neutrals, Griffiths opened with a statement: a madder-red floor-length cashmere coat that was nothing short of a power move. Teddy coats and field jackets followed, setting the tone for an outerwear lineup that delivered both romance and functionality.

Then, it was time for texture play. A vertical dance of ribbed knits and corduroy created fluid, body-skimming silhouettes—cue the split-front skirt and matching Guernsey sweater, an ensemble layered beneath a cloaked cape in flecked charcoal cashmere wool. The look was peak Brontë: windswept, poetic, and utterly wearable.

Griffiths took the grandeur of the Georgian era and gave it a pragmatic spin. Full wool and cashmere skirts swayed with every step, yet their sweeping hems were unexpectedly finished with bomber-jacket ribbing—adding both structure and a knowing nod to contemporary sportswear. Wide-legged wool and leather trousers incorporated articulated knee seams reminiscent of functional hiking gear, while oversized backpacks in sturdy cotton, secured with leather straps, hinted at the great outdoors. A dark tweed poacher’s jacket, styled over knit bloomers, embodied this fusion of romance and practicality.

The collection’s silhouettes played with proportion: cinched waists emphasized billowing skirts, thanks to double-wrapped leather belts that created a sense of controlled volume. Casha and madder remained the defining hues, but much of the collection leaned into a dark, moody palette—dramatic and evocative, though at times lost against the shadowy runway backdrop.

With its stormy palette, sweeping lines, and an undeniable air of poetic rebellion, Max Mara’s Fall 2025 collection felt like a love letter to the woman who walks the line between discipline and desire. These are clothes designed not just to be worn, but to be lived in—whether you’re navigating city streets or channeling your inner Brontë protagonist on the blustery moors. And for the Max Mara faithful, it’s an invitation they’ll gladly accept.