The Eclectically MaxMara

How could I forget about it. Fashionistas blame it on my head but not my heart for forgetting to review the Spring/Summer 2007 collection from one of the most and highly venerated fashion house in Europe - MaxMara.

Turning 55 this year, the brand, which was conceived by Achille Maramotti, an Italian law graduate in 1951 to continue the family passion in dressmaking that his family inherited from the grand dame of fashion and her great grandmother Marina Rinaldi, the season's collection is playing with the abstracts of arts.

A combination of unusual and unique materials - neoprene is one of them, unusual cuts and shapes, and the most importantly, unusual prints, MaxMara's latest Spring/Summer 2007 collection promises you a whole lot of difference in dressing up.

Playful meets elegance and functionalism, the ready-to-wear collection is definitely a new interpretation of fashion for MaxMara under the direction of Maramotti's two sons who took over the company after Maramotti died in 2005.

From toga dresses to large anoraks, the chances are that you might outshine others in MaxMara's marvelous pieces. With all metallic craze at its height, frocks in golden, bronze and silver lurex drapped and tucked, forming dresses that used to be worn by the ancient Greeks is the highlight of the collection. Wear it at night and many would assume that you're heading for the glamorous award show.

But of course, my favorite from this magnificent ready-to-wear collection is the black strapless dress with heightened hem and large abstract floral print in contrasting yellow.

So graphic, this dress reminds me of the time when large abstract prints used to rule the fashion scene. The big anorak too is so chic to sport and in a climate like Malaysia where the rain comes unexpectedly, not only you could keep yourself dry from rain, you even create a fashion statement for yourself.

Meanwhile, to celebrate its 55th anniversary, MaxMara is holding an exhibition showcasing 60 seminal past and present pieces of, what else the brand is known for, coats! Entitled Coats! 55 Years of Italian Fashion, the exhibition kicked off in Berlin at the Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

Featuring works from former in-house designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Guy Paulin, as well as never-before published sketches and designs, the exhibition draws a lot of attention from curious fashion fans in Germany and around Europe as well.

Also on display were brand campaigns shot by famous photographers such as Sarah Moon, Peter Lindberg, Richard Avedon and Steven Meisel. The exhibition ended last March in Berlin and now heads towards Milan, Tokyo and ends in Toronto.

MaxMara's Spring/Summer 2007 collection is available now at all MaxMara boutiques and selected multi-label stores and department stores around the world.

*Photos by Marcio Madeira for Style.com/VOGUE

MaxMara - Lot 107, First Floor, Suria KLCC, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.