Phantazie is the new collection by Weekend Max Mara Signature for the Spring-Summer 2024 season.
This is an ode to fantasy, imagination, and Vienna, led by the versatile designer Arthur Arbesser. Born and raised in Austria’s capital, Arbesser was deeply immersed in the city’s culture, regularly attending theater, ballet, and opera performances.
As a child, he was drawn to the power of each character and their costumes. Today, his creations span various fields, from fashion to costume design, interiors, and more. For this collection, Arbesser found inspiration in Vienna and ballet. The collection reflects the early 20th-century artistic movement known as “Secession,” embracing the freedom of movement characteristic of dancewear, highlighting comfort and the feeling of freedom, perfectly aligned with Weekend Max Mara’s values.
“Vienna has a strong influence on me: it’s marked by a kind of strictness, clean, precise lines, and a certain discipline mixed with something softer and lighter,” says Arbesser.
“The idea was to fully embrace this unique heritage in the Weekend Max Mara Signature project.”
Elegant and confident, glamorous yet natural, feminine and playful—this is how Arbesser envisions the woman. The spotlight is on flowing or deconstructed silhouettes. Cheerful, vibrant prints play a key role, especially the bright and bold motifs that replicate Arbesser’s oil paintings.
Fabrics feature grids and stripes reminiscent of Vienna’s modernism and vivid tiles, sometimes enriched with lace inserts to create a patchwork effect. Dresses and skirts are luxurious, playful, and adorned with ruffles, while sporty pieces reflect a post-rehearsal nonchalance, accented with a sense of luxury. In contrast, monochrome or striped jackets, shirts, and trousers take inspiration from uniforms and workwear.
The same applies to practical styles, like the double-breasted, belted trench coat with a linen collar. The color palette includes timeless and bright hues, such as vibrant blues, mint, aubergine, and shimmering shades presented in new materials like cotton poplin, silk, and jersey. Accessories include various evening versions of the iconic Pasticcino bag, airy plimsolls, and a new bucket hat with a wide brim.
The Phantazie collection will have a preview on September 20 at Milan Fashion Week, showcased at BUILDING alongside the exhibition “Now Is After And Then Is Now” by artist Shlomo Harush. So, hurry up—the curtain on a new adventure in style and uniqueness is about to rise, and you’ll be the star.
Weekend Max Mara, launched in 1983 as a collection for weekend wear, has evolved into a true Italian lifestyle brand with a unique identity and contemporary individuality. Today, Weekend Max Mara offers a broad range of ready-to-wear and accessories that effortlessly combine relevance and timelessness.
The modern and refined choices merge formal and informal styles, offering everyday elegance for women with a cultural perspective and a free spirit, whose individuality transcends fashion and seasons.
As part of its ongoing campaign, Weekend Max Mara presents its Signature Capsule collections, created or inspired by notable creatives who reinterpret the house’s rules each season, crafting a unique wardrobe with a distinctive vision. Weekend Max Mara collections are available in up to 250 mono-brand stores and leading department stores worldwide.
Weekend Max Mara
50 Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi, Georgia
