Rudolf Nureyev’s documentary celebrating his exceptional art and unique personal bond with ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn influenced Creative Director’s Ian Griffiths’s Max Mara Pre-Fall 2019.

“I was thinking about the relationship between Nureyev and Fonteyn,” Griffiths said. “It’s a dynamic rather applicable to Max Mara, because it was all about contrast: youth and experience, the anima and the animus, the masculine side of femininity, and the feminine side of masculinity.”

Griffiths focused on the duo’s more intimate backstage and rehearsal moments, rather than referencing the grand costumes and the star wattage of staged performances. The collection focused on leggings layered one over the other, rolled-sleeve cache-coeurs and débardeurs, and tees often knotted in front or on one side. While Nureyev’s style inspired a focus on soft masculine tailoring (accented by a velvet rendition of his signature trilby hat and a cashmere version of his utilitarian boots), Fonteyn’s provided the ethereal chiffons and georgettes.

The collection’s relaxed sensibility was highlighted in the roomy round shapes of the classic cocoon coats, sometimes layered under breezy organza dusters in matching shades of powder pink, lilac, or copper. Softly tailored blazers worn with wide-leg trousers exuded an unstructured yet elegant ease, emphasized also by long skirts in fluid jersey or silk georgette, which looked as graceful as they were practical. Worn with layered flimsy cashmere tees, they conveyed a sense of fluidity and movement.