Max Mara Outfit Ideas: 12 Formulas for Work, Weekend and Evening

A good Max Mara outfit starts with the coat and works inward. Pick one long camel, black and navy coat, then build underneath with a fine cashmere polo-neck, wide wool trousers, a structured leather bag and a plain shoe in a matching tone. Keep the palette to two colours and let the coat’s fabric carry the look. Every piece below is from Max Mara at Coveti.

Key facts

• The house: Max Mara was founded in 1951 by Achille Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and is still family owned.
• The anchor piece: the 101801 coat, designed by Anne-Marie Beretta in 1981, is a double-breasted camel coat in wool and cashmere with kimono sleeves.
• Lines to mix: Max Mara, Weekend Max Mara, ‘S Max Mara, Max Mara Studio, Max Mara Atelier, Max Mara The Cube and MaxMara Accessori all sit under the Max Mara name, so pieces mix easily.
• Creative direction: Ian Griffiths joined Max Mara in 1987 and is the creative director.
• The bag to know: the Whitney Bag was created in 2015 with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop for the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• Range on Coveti: about 1,650 live Max Mara pieces across coats, knitwear, trousers, bags, shoes and accessories.

What is the Max Mara look?

Max Mara dresses a woman who goes to work. The clothes are built around outerwear, cut generously so they go over tailoring, in a narrow palette of camel, sand, black, navy, grey and brown. There are no loud logos on most pieces, and the fabrics do the talking: camel hair, cashmere, virgin wool, silk and Nappa leather. It is the reason the brand turns up in every guide to old money style and quiet luxury.

That makes a Max Mara outfit easy to build. You need fewer pieces than you think, as long as each one is in a neutral that talks to the others. If you are new to the label, read who is Max Mara first, then come back here for the formulas.

The rules behind every Max Mara outfit

• Coat first. Choose the coat, then dress underneath it. A long camel coat covers most of the outfit for six months of the year.
• Two tones, maximum three. Camel with black, camel with white, navy with grey, brown with sand. Tonal dressing, where every piece is a shade of one colour, is the most Max Mara look of all.
• Fine knits under big coats. A slim cashmere polo-neck keeps the coat’s line clean; a chunky knit belongs under a teddy coat, not a fitted wrap.
• Wide trousers, long coats. Wide-leg wool trousers that break over the shoe balance a long coat. Cropped trousers suit short coats.
• Structured bag, plain shoe. One leather bag in black, brown and tan, and a shoe with no decoration.

What to wear with a Max Mara camel coat

The camel coat is the centre of the Max Mara wardrobe, so it gets its own section. Camel works with black, white, cream, navy, grey, chocolate brown and denim, which covers nearly everything you own. The three combinations that look most deliberate are:

• Camel on black: black polo-neck, black wide trousers, black court shoes. The coat does all the work. This is the outfit for meetings and dinners.
• Camel on camel: camel cashmere knit, camel trousers, tan bag. Tonal and very Max Mara; add white trainers to make it casual.
• Camel on denim: grey roll-neck, straight dark jeans, Chelsea boots. The weekend version of the same coat.

We go much deeper on this in how to style a camel coat, and if you are still choosing the coat, compare fabrics in camel hair coat versus wool coat.

Max Mara outfit formulas for work, weekend, travel and evening

Work: the camel coat uniform

The Max Mara work outfit is a coat, a knit and a trouser. The 101801 in camel over a camel Gatto cashmere polo-neck and dark brown Pergola wool flannel trousers is about as polished as officewear gets, and nothing in it competes for attention. Swap the polo-neck for a silk shirt in summer, and the trousers for Alaggio cady wide-legs in black if your office runs formal. Finish with Phyllis court shoes, which have an 8 cm heel you can actually walk in. For the jacket layer, our Max Mara jackets and blazers guide covers the tailoring.

Weekend: teddy, cord and trainers

The weekend version relaxes every element. A Weekend Max Mara teddy coat, a pure cashmere Elegia roll-neck in dark grey, Tania corduroy wide-leg trousers and Urban suede trainers in camel. Carry a small Marine bag across the body. The palette stays neutral, so it still looks put together. See the full line in our guide to Weekend Max Mara.

Travel: The Cube and soft layers

Max Mara The Cube is the house line for padded, water-repellent outerwear, and a Cube puffer packs into an overhead locker in a way a wool coat never will. Wear it over a wool and cashmere jumper and soft jersey trousers, with leather trainers and a tote big enough for a laptop. In the UAE and Australia you may only need the coat at the airport; in London and Toronto it is the coat you will live in. Compare styles in womens puffer jackets.

Evening: silk and a black coat

For evening, Max Mara tends to go long and fluid rather than short and fitted. The Dotto silk crepe de chine maxi dress in tobacco under a black wrap coat, with Stark satin and crystal sandals and a small Pasticcino bag, gives you a dinner outfit that still looks like the brand. Browse more options in Max Mara dresses.

How to build a Max Mara capsule wardrobe

If you want the outfits above without buying them all at once, build a capsule in this order: one coat, two knits, two trousers, one blazer, one bag, two pairs of shoes. In neutrals, those ten pieces make more than twenty outfits. Our capsule wardrobe guide explains the method, and the knitwear and wide leg trousers edits at Coveti are the best places to fill the gaps. Shoes for every formula are in designer shoes.

For the bag, a structured leather shape in black, tan and brown does the most work. Our guide to Max Mara bags explains the Whitney, the Archetipo, the Marine and the Pasticcino.

Where can I buy a Max Mara outfit in the US?

Coveti stocks Max Mara coats, knitwear, trousers, dresses, bags and shoes in one place and ships to the US by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority, insured and signed for on delivery. Prices are in US dollars and duties are usually payable on import. See every piece in the Max Mara collection.

The Max Mara pieces to build your outfits around

1. Madame 101801 Icon Coat in Camel

The anchor of the Max Mara wardrobe: double-breasted, wool and cashmere, kimono sleeves. Wear it over everything from black tailoring to jeans. From $5,170.

2. Gatto Cashmere Polo-Neck Sweater in Camel

A lightweight pure cashmere polo-neck designed to sit under a jacket without bulk. The base layer for the tonal camel look. From $1,160.

3. Pergola Wool Flannel Trousers in Dark Brown

Long, wide-leg stretch wool flannel trousers with a matching leather belt. They balance a long coat and look right with flats and heels alike. From $1,210.

4. Alaggio Cady Wide-Leg Trousers in Black

Fluid black cady trousers for formal offices and evenings. From $760.

5. Archetipo Medium Leather Bag in Black

A medium calfskin bag with a tailor’s pick stitch and an adjustable strap. Structured enough for work, plain enough for any outfit. From $2,750.

6. Phyllis Nappa Leather Court Shoes in Black

Tapered nappa court shoes on an 8 cm satin-covered heel. The shoe for every office formula. From $1,070.

7. Elegia Cashmere Roll-Neck Jumper in Dark Grey

A relaxed pure cashmere roll-neck with dropped shoulders. Made for weekend layering under teddy coats. From $940.

8. Tania Cotton Corduroy Wide-Leg Trousers in Light Brown

Wide cotton corduroy trousers that dress down a camel coat. In ten colours. From $540.

9. Small Leather Marine Bag in Brown

A rounded calfskin bag with tubular handles and a removable strap, so it works by hand and across the body. From $1,990.

10. Urban Suede Trainers in Camel

Camel suede trainers that match the coat and turn the work uniform into a weekend one. From $1,090.

11. Dotto Long Silk Crepe de Chine Dress in Tobacco

A long pure silk dress for dinners, worn under a black coat with satin sandals. From $2,070.

12. Pio Leather Chelsea Boots in Dark Brown

Leather Chelsea boots for wet days and denim outfits, lined in leather. From $1,730.

More Max Mara guides

• How to style a camel coat
• Max Mara coats guide
• Weekend Max Mara coats
• Max Mara jackets and blazers
• Max Mara knitwear
• Max Mara trousers and suits
• Max Mara bags
• Old money style

Frequently asked questions

What do you wear with a Max Mara coat?

Wear a Max Mara coat over fine knitwear and tailored trousers in a matching neutral. A cashmere polo-neck and wide wool trousers in black, camel and brown are the classic base. Add a structured leather bag and plain court shoes, loafers and Chelsea boots. Keep to two colours so the coat stays the focus.

What colours go with a Max Mara camel coat?

Camel works with black, white, cream, navy, grey, chocolate brown and denim. Black under camel is the sharpest option for work, all camel is the most Max Mara look, and grey with denim is the easiest weekend combination. Avoid strong brights near the face if you want the coat to read as quiet luxury.

Can you wear a Max Mara coat casually?

Yes. Wear the same camel coat with a roll-neck, straight jeans and suede trainers, and carry a small crossbody bag. Weekend Max Mara is built for exactly this, with corduroy trousers, cashmere knits and teddy coats that look relaxed while staying in the house palette.

What shoes go with a Max Mara outfit?

Plain shoes in black, tan and brown work best: nappa court shoes for work, leather Chelsea boots for wet weather, suede trainers for weekends and satin sandals for evening. Max Mara’s own shoes at Coveti include all four, so the leather tones match the bags.

Is Max Mara considered old money style?

Max Mara is one of the labels most often linked with old money style because of its neutral palette, long camel coats and lack of loud logos. The brand has been family owned since Achille Maramotti founded it in 1951, and its coats are designed to be worn for many seasons.

How many Max Mara pieces do I need for a capsule wardrobe?

About ten: one coat, two knits, two pairs of trousers, one blazer, one bag and two pairs of shoes, all in neutrals. Those ten pieces combine into more than twenty Max Mara outfits for work, weekend and travel.

Build your Max Mara outfit from the coat inward and you will rarely get it wrong. Shop every piece in the Max Mara collection at Coveti, then read how to style a camel coat and our Max Mara coats guide to choose the coat that starts it all.