In my heart of hearts, I’m a minimalist. I’m a sucker for a classic line and a clean palette and I never met a grey sweater I didn’t like. I have lots of odd things – feathered hats, pleather leggings, gold shoes – but they are headliners, cast in outfits made of neutral extras. Personally, I think people underestimate the dedication minimalism requires. Crazy crap is everywhere; it is nearly impossible to find the perfect oxford shirt or tailored wool pant.

Maggie Rizer for Max Mara: I find her enormous feet weirdly charming.

The first time I noticed Max Mara, it was somewhere in the dark heart of the raver ’90s. The Maggie Rizer campaign was one of the most brilliant things I’d ever seen. Simple, whimsical, classic and still totally modern, I tore the pictures out of my Vogue and pinned them to my wall for inspiration. A refugee in a world of fun fur and Swear boots, one look at Max and I respectfully fell into low-key love.

It was a departure for me. As a general rule, I don’t follow specific labels or designers. Firstly, I can’t afford that stuff and, even if I could, fashion is fickle and it’s not often any one line can hold me for more than a few months. As luxury brands continue to grow, hungry for profit and market share, the race-for-saleable trend seems to keep a lot of fashion houses from maintaining aesthetic consistency.

But despite a few brief flirtations with fad, Max Mara never seems to disappoint. Their fall 2009 Ready to Wear line is no exception –- and in fact is in many ways reminiscent of the look I fell in love with. As I ran through the images from their Fashion Week show, I felt my monochromatic heart swell modestly with conservative bliss…

Grey days: slim, simple, and chic, this is pretty typical of the ‘09 line. I love the slip showing underneath the skirt; this was a motif that ran through show. It’s the little bit of modern that keeps the classic Max Mara from looking stodgy.

Coats! Max Mara is so known for its classic coats, they have even become part of a traveling textile exhibition. I fell in love with this one for its kimono sleeves and loose line. And look –- two kinds of grey!

Shakin’ it up with some beige: I really can’t explain why I’m so weak in the knees for this. Whatever you might think, you can’t say the line doesn’t have a really strong theme…

Max gone wild. (Notice the three — gasp! — sequins peeping out from the hem.)

Another image from the campaign that stole my heart. Designed in the 90s, the suit is still stylish, the tights and shoes completely current – but it could have been made for Jackie Kennedy. Max Mara might be the perfect wear for time travel.

In need of a Max introduction? Established in 1951, founder Achille Maramotti named the company after a local character named Count Max, who was (according to the Independent) “perennially drunk but always dashing.”

– Images courtesy of The Fashion Spot forums.

Tags: beige, coco's blog, f/w 2009, g. stegelmann, grey, max mara