Why Max Mara's Resort 2026 Feels Like the Antidote to Fast Fashion Fatigue
From 1951 archival prints to sensual gowns, the brand proved substance beats virality at its Resort 2026 cinematic showcase in Naples.
In today’s fashion landscape, where micro trends fizzle and fade in the blink of an eye, Max Mara stands for a certain type of regal elegance. The brand has built its name on a devotion to quiet luxury – sartorial sophistication without the spectacle.
Founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti, Max Mara has never chased the ephemeral. Instead, it has mastered the art of enduring style, embodied by its famous tailoring and rich fabrics, beloved by generations of confident women who let their style speak for itself.
From left: Joey King, Lee Sung Kyung and Gwyneth Paltrow were among the stylish guests who gathered in Naples for Max Mara's cinematic Resort 26 showcase.
At the unveiling of its Resort 2026 collection on June 18, the Italian house took over the majestic Reggia di Caserta in Naples, where a star-studded guest list – including Lee Sung Kyung, Joey King, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zhu Zhu and Hayley Atwell – watched a line-up that felt like a love letter to craftsmanship, and a celebration of earthy Italian femininity expressed through timeless style and flawless tailoring.
From Cinecitta to Street Style
This season, Max Mara channels the suave swagger of the Neapolitan dandy. Candy-striped shirts in gelato hues, with crisp white collars and cuffs, styled rakishly with tilted fedoras and completed with light resort jackets. The construction is impeccable, the attitude – casually undone, effortlessly chic.
Archival cravat prints from 1951 make a quiet comeback — reimagined on slinky sets and soft tailoring with a sultry, undone ease. Credit: Max Mara
Archival cravat prints from 1951 make a quiet comeback — reimagined on slinky sets and soft tailoring with a sultry, undone ease.
While we’re on the topic of icons, archival cravat prints, first designed in 1951, resurfaced on slinky silk pyjamas and lush cashmere sweaters.
Retro references ran strong: think rolled-up shorts like the ones sultry actress Silvana Mangano made famous in Italian Neorealist films, along with full circle skirts with protruding pockets, portrait collars, and matching strapless bras and slip dresses, that come from the Cinecitta of the 1950s.
Coats also dominated the runway, with the iconic camel coat holding its throne but reimagined with fresh interpretations such as belts, fringed edges, cocoon shapes and shawl collars.
When it came to eveningwear, the mood turned sultry with sensual strapless gowns fitted with boned internal structures in silk gauze that peep out of the decollete.
Proof that short shorts can still serve main character energy — crisp, cuffed and straight out of a vintage film reel. Credit: Max Mara
Proof that short shorts can still serve main character energy — crisp, cuffed and straight out of a vintage film reel.
Enter the Atelier
Max Mara also offered a peek into its Fall Winter 2025 Atelier collection – an homage to a dream line-up of rule-breaking style icons such as Diana Vreeland, Maria Callas, Juliette Greco, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Edith Bouvier Beale.
These women didn’t just wear clothes, they rewrote the rules while doing it. Their rebellious spirit lives on in the collection’s unapologetic glamour and unconventional edge. The result: sumptuous coats that simultaneously exude Savile Row polish and avant-garde grunge.
The Resort 26 coat we’ll be dreaming about: slouched, sensual, and softly undone – all in Max Mara’s signature caramel cashmere. Credit: Max Mara
The Resort 26 coat we’ll be dreaming about: slouched, sensual and softly undone – all in Max Mara’s signature caramel cashmere.
Each piece in the collection is designed with intent, pulling references from 1960s Neorealist style, but updated through a clean, minimalist lens. The coats, in particular, carry serious weight — not just in fabric, but in thought. Shapes, proportions and structure have been reworked to ask: what does the modern Max Mara coat look like today?
Masculine tailoring meets scarf-print silk, while crisp shirting gets elevated with antique-inspired jewel motifs and a cameo choker fit for a modern-day duchess. Credit: Max Mara
Masculine tailoring meets scarf-print silk, while crisp shirting gets elevated with antique-inspired jewel motifs and a cameo choker fit for a modern-day duchess.
And with the ongoing obsession over masculine tailoring for women, Max Mara delivers in spades. The outerwear is the real show-stealer here: there’s the foulard coat, luxe parkas and sweatshirt-style coats in Scottish checks – a quiet nod to Kurt Cobain.
You will also find “egg-shaped” coats; Redingote robes that open unexpectedly in sophisticated sunray pleats; Chemise coats, reinterpretations of the versatile over-shirt trend; Shearling blouson jackets; and a faux fur coat with a subtle spotted effect created using devore fabric.
The palette is rich but restrained: caramel-toned cashmeres, fuzzy Vicuna browns (like your favourite cup of Milo, but chicer), warm hits of orange, deep navy blue paired with earthy loden green, rich amaranth red and a range of blacks.
Max Mara makes the ordinary opulent: A cameo-studded belt nods to Roman antiquity, while a classic shirt dress gets the luxe treatment in buttery lambskin lined with matching silk. Credit: Max Mara
Max Mara makes the ordinary opulent: A cameo-studded belt nods to Roman antiquity, while a classic shirt dress gets the luxe treatment in buttery lambskin lined with matching silk.
It’s all in the feel
Max Mara has always been known for its top-shelf fabrics, which allow for sensually tactile clothes. This season’s fabrics – redesigned in different weights – make the new silhouettes possible. The best cashmeres, jacquards, mohair, felted wools, special melanges of noble wools such as cashmere and alpaca make every item pure luxury.
The Whitney Bag returns with fresh structure and quiet polish, paired with slinky pyjama trousers that blur the line between loungewear and luxury. Credit: Max Mara
The Whitney Bag returns with fresh structure and quiet polish, paired with slinky pyjama trousers that blur the line between loungewear and luxury.
Each piece is enhanced with luxurious details, such as nude satin linings, horn buttons, lacquered woven leather, and crystal-encrusted floral “jewel” that add just the right amount of sparkle.
And the finishing touch? Four fresh takes on the iconic Whitney Bag and featherlight silk scarves that add polish without trying too hard.
Scroll ahead for a closer look at the standout ensembles from the Max Mara Resort 2026 show, unveiled at the grand Reggia di Caserta in Naples.
Both the Max Mara Resort 2026 and Fall Winter 2025 Atelier collections will arrive in stores from November through December 2025. For more information, visit maxmara.com.