Fashionably casual

Step into the new Weekend Max Mara boutique in The Westchester in White Plains, hang a left and you’re immediately summering on Nantucket.

Step into the new Weekend Max Mara boutique in The Westchester in White Plains, hang a left and you’re immediately summering on Nantucket. Stripes marry florals in wide-legged pants and tops, jackets in white and yellow reproduce patterns reminiscent of blue-and-white Chinese export porcelain and pinch purse-style pocketbooks evoke straw handbags, while layers of necklaces echo seashells and dresses cheer the red, white and blue. It’s all part of one of the brand’s more casual, intimate iterations, founded in 1983.

Casual need not mean anything less than chic, however. Distributed in more than 200 Max Mara boutiques and department stores worldwide, Weekend Max Mara features sophisticated, studded versions of collegiate jumpers and richly textured hoodies — perfect for on the go or going nowhere. Indeed, as shoppers discovered during the store’s official opening in April, the Weekend fabrics have the same luxurious quality you’ll find in such Max Mara offerings as its reversible spring and winter swing coats in yummy saturated color combinations, like cream and sky blue or cherry blossom and chocolate brown. No wonder Max Mara and its 35 labels — including Sportmax and Marina Rinaldi, named for the great-grandmother of company founder Achille Maramotti — make it the go-to statement brand for everyone from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to singer Taylor Swift. 

And yet, there is a lightness of being about Weekend Max Mara. As press materials note:  “The brand is characterized by simple yet flattering silhouettes that are complemented by a mix of bold and neutral patterns and prints fabricated in materials such as linen, cotton, wool and tweed. The signature butterfly print is a charming representation of the collection’s fundamental philosophy of… freedom and confidence.”

The boutique’s interior design reflects the late Maramotti’s Italian heritage — he started the business in 1951 in his native Reggio Emilia — as well as Weekend Max Mara’s blend of classic and modern.

Exposed ceilings, track lighting and contemporary chandeliers; paneled, canvassed, bleached brick and stone walls; gray cement-glazed Italian tiles; and custom furnishings combine in a space that is at once rustic and airy, cozy and industrial.

It’s a fitting place in which to begin your Max Mara weekend.

For more, visit weekendmaxmara.com.

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