Forbes Australia and Max Mara brought together a select group of women in Sydney for a night that blended conversation and craftsmanship – all centred on a single theme: slowing down.
Curated by Jillian Davison – the Australian stylist, creative director and former editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour U.S., personally recruited by Anna Wintour – the evening took a closer look at Max Mara’s Autumn/Winter 2025 collection.
The audience – a mix of founders, executives and Forbes Women members – listened as models moved through Max Mara’s new collection of long coats, ribbed knits and muted shades of berry and hazelnut.
The Italian house has spent more than 70 years refining the art of the coat, treating construction as discipline rather than trend. Its latest campaign, Time, Tailored, captures that focus, positioning time itself as the modern luxury.
Max Mara Retail Manager Asako Hill spoke about the roots of the house’s enduring appeal, tracing it back to 1951 when founder Achille Maramotti designed coats for a new generation of Italian women defining power on their own terms. “They needed clothes that gave them strength,” she said. “That’s what Max Mara has always stood for.”
Models moved through six looks from the collection, each styled as they appeared on the runway.
A monochrome berry suit opened the presentation, paired with the iconic Whitney Bag – celebrating its tenth year since Max Mara designed it with Renzo Piano’s architecture studio. The collection’s reference point, the Brontë sisters, showed through in hazelnut knits, long pleated skirts, and soft silhouettes that balanced structure with ease.
Later came wide-leg corduroy in head-to-toe tones, a ribbed knit dress belted twice at the waist, and the return of the house’s most recognisable coats: the Teddy and the Ludmilla. The latter, cut in double cashmere with a subtle sheen, closed the showing. Davison called it “cocooning” – the kind of piece that feels as good as it looks.
Forbes Australia Editor-in-Chief Sarah O’Carroll opened the evening by noting how naturally the collaboration fit. “Forbes Women are leaders who move fast and think big – but sometimes the greatest luxury is found in slowing down. And in a world obsessed with speed, Max Mara reminds us that time is the ultimate luxury,” she said.
The setting matched the tone as guests were treated to Perrier-Jouët champagne and a platter of caviar and cheese from Stories to Gather, as Davison answered questions about tailoring and proportion.
Her advice stayed simple: “Go a size up. Be comfortable and in control…. when you’re comfortable, you look powerful.”
