A Sea Tale Sinbad the Sailor, Bluebeard, Jonah and the Whale; tales of the sea are as old as storytelling itself. Ships and seafarers, love and longing, hazard and hope; familiar elements from fables illustrating the tangled dramas of a complex world. ‘Style is a simple way of saying complicated things’ said Jean Cocteau; Max Mara Spring-Summer 2016 looks offshore for a new sartorial order based on straightforward elegance. Naive is the new sophisticated. Inspired by the deceptive artlessness of Cocteau’s drawings, the collection makes bold gestures with inky blacks and sunbaked papery whites. Signs and symbols, semaphorists, stars and sailing knots featured on grainy hand blocked prints. Primary red, vivid yellow, royal blue and cerulean evoke the childhood thrill of seeing ships’ flags flutter in the scintillant maritime light. Naval discipline and marine romance inspire an athletic new femininity; ankle length bias cut skirts, cutaway backs with knotted cord ties and chunky drawstrings on light fabrics. Canvas matelot pants and double faced pea coats, rows of polished buttons and stripes bring a dream of the wide open sea. DJ Johnny Dynell and illustrator Brian Grimwood interpret the sailor’s song with an animated mise-en-scène. Mr. Grimwood’s dextrous hand also appears on must-have T-shirts, micro and macro duffels, luggage labels and Max Mara’s iconic JBag.
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