MAX MARA RESORT 2023 FASHION SHOW

Sunset in the lush sub-tropical gardens of the world class Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon; the time and place of Max Mara's Resort 2023 show.
There is a painting by the artist Niklas Skapinakie showing the intellectual, poet and social activist Natalia Correia with two other women seating reverentially at her feet.

It is the starting point for a collection which revives the spirit of this remarkable woman and celebrates her contribution to Portuguese artistic, cultural and political life in the eventful mid-twentieth century.

Just as Max Mara has formulated its own brand of feminism, so did Correia. Counter to the politically correct format of the movement, she argued for sensuality and passionate femininity. Correia's 'Antologia de Poesia Portuguesa Erótica e Satírica' was considered outré by the authorities against whom she campaigned; to Max Mara it suggests a more voluptuous, curvier silhouette with an occasional nod to the gathered skirts of traditional dress. Max Mara presents below-the-knee sexy, sultry sheaths that are perfect for parties, like the highbrow soirées at which Correia was photographed. And of course for almost every gown, there will be a trademark coat to wear it with.
Correia enjoyed a place right at the heart of Lisbon society.

Back to the Skapinakis picture; the women depicted at Correia's feet are fellow novelist and poet Fernanda Botelho and renowned classical pianist Maria João Pies.

Correia's home, and the watering hole she herself founded, Bar Botequim, were a stage for international friends such as Henry Miller, GrahamGreene and Eugène Ionesco, and Portuguese legends like Amélia Rodrigues the queen of fado. On stage photographs reveal Amalia's penchant for plisse.

Crunchy degradè pleated silk taffetà is the perfect medium for a dramatic gesture that goes from day to night; whether it's a floor sweeping bustier or a corona bursting from beneath the hem of a pencil skirt.

Fado, the music of love and longing, reminds us that
Natália Correia's smoldering charisma was absolutely in tune with the Portuguese psyche .
Lencos de namorados do Minho, are another Portuguese romantic tradition, especially of the Minho region, symbol of a conquest ritual: the 'handkerchiefs of love' represent the most genuine poetic and artistic form used by girls of marriageable age who embroidered a square of linen or of cotton, with messages and symbols of love, to win heart of their beloved.

Lencos de namorados do Minho is a handcrafted product certified by Adere Certifica with a Registered Trademark and a Geographical Indication belonging
to Adere-Minho.

Hearts, flowers and doves rendered in the sophisticated naif style of the Lencos de namorados figure in Max Mara's prints and dressy crystal brooches.

Working with local artisans, Max Mara has created T-shirts inspired by the motifs of the traditional Lencos de namorados do Minho carrying Max Mara own lines
0f love, which, in accordance with custom begins with a heartfelt entreaty for the missive to reach the object of the sender's affections. Resort 2023 will deliver Max Mara's message passion
and power; 'Vai lenco feliz'.