Max Mara's recent fashion show at the historic Palace of Caserta showcased a modern twist on Italian style, beginning with high-waisted shorts inspired by actress Silvana Mangano in the classic film Riso Amaro. Designer Ian Griffiths emphasized cinema's pivotal role in shaping Italian fashion, reflecting on women's evolving roles since the 1940s. The collection featured traditional elements like camel coats and Bardot tops alongside contemporary pieces like daywear pyjamas, illustrating how runway fashion sometimes resonates with real-world wearability.
Cinema was the thing that really took Italian style into people's lives, and where Italian style was effectively invented, said Ian Griffiths, Max Mara's designer.
I wanted to take this image, and look at how the position of women, real women, had changed... It’s sacrilege to mention Neapolitan style without thinking of Sophia Loren too.
Sophia Loren was more in control of her sex appeal than Mangano... Think how many women watched her in [1954's] L'Oro di Napoli and went out and bought... a low-cut blouse.
There were ever-popular pyjamas-as-daywear too. Billowing in the breeze, it was proof that while what appears on the catwalk doesn’t always translate to the real world, some pieces do.
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