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MILAN, Italy — The show notes at the Max Mara show today were a rather drifting, but very amusing, rhapsody about the virtues of Swedish pragmatism: straightforward materials, form follows function and all the rest. The first model to hit the catwalk, fittingly, was bombshell Natasha Poly completely clad in hyper-womanly red, with a voluminous statement coat.
Sounds puzzling? Not at all. The tale of northern beauties being cold is a fake. Just think of how emotional Ingrid Bergman was. The collection followed suit: it was complacently feminine just as much as it was pragmatic. It was honest, most of all: no styling trick and no diversion, just faultless outerwear and classy separates real women might actually want to wear.
