MILAN — Among the places that capture the essence of La Dolce Vita and the allure of an Italian summer, the storied Hotel Il Pellicano on Tuscany’s Argentario coast has few rivals.
Now the hotel’s driving force, chief executive officer and creative director Marie-Louise Sciò, has teamed with Weekend Max Mara on its spring 2027 collection, debuting Wednesday during Milan Fashion Week.
“The initial idea was very simple: the weekend bag, and the suitcase you take with you for a lifestyle that I personally love [by] leaving the office and going to one of our fabulous hotels, and wanting to be ready for everything,” Sciò said.
“I wanted to create a wardrobe that could move with you through the weekend, from day to night and from one place to another, without having to think too much about it. It is really about that feeling of being in motion, but still feeling effortless, elegant and completely yourself,” she said.
A concise work-to-weekend wardrobe, the collection combines safari-inflected tailoring with fluid caftans and easy-to-pack and -style tunics, underpinnings and silky shirts.
Crafted from summery, breezy fabrics including cotton, cotton piquet, viscose, silk and cotton blends, and washed linen, the collection is hinged on neutrals, such as ivory white, navy blue, khaki, chocolate brown, sage green and beige, occasionally spice up by more zingy nuances including saffron yellow and rust orange.
Safari dressing echoes in the number of pocketed jacket, skirts, blouses and jumpsuits; flared trousers are paired with blouses with structured collars or dainty ruched tops, while kimono-style jackets — among Sciò’s favorite pieces — are styled with matching shorts.
Most outfits are styled with ballerinas, mules in silver and gold or hiking-inspired sandals, chunky costume jewelry and the brand’s signature Pasticcino Bag rendered in pleated gold napa leather.
“I love everything because it is exactly what I would wear, both day and night. I love beauty, but I also love practicality, and I think the collection has that balance….They are all pieces that feel very much like me and that I would genuinely wear,” she said.
There are whiffs of ’70s Boho, revisited through a minimalist lens, which Sciò attributes to her mother’s style in that decade and the ’80s. The Max Mara archives provided additional references and layers to draw from.
“The archive became an important part of the creative process. It took the initial idea of the suitcase and opened it up into something broader, bringing together different references, periods and ways of dressing,” Sciò said.
The collection will hit stores in March and is flanked by a dedicated campaign shot at Il Pellicano’s brother hotel La Posta Vecchia against sun-drenched terraces, lush gardens and gilded rooms.
An architect who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, Sciò kicked off her career in New York before moving back to Italy, where she grew fonder of interior design. She established her design studio in Rome before joining Hotel Il Pellicano in 2005, initially to lead the restoration of a few rooms. She became CEO of the namesake hospitality group in 2015 and now oversees all its properties, which also include La Posta Vecchia and Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa.
The tie-up with Sciò is part of Weekend Max Mara’s Signature Capsule project, which each season tasks a designer or creative to reinterpret the house codes. The brand has so far linked with Giuliva Heritage, “Emily in Paris” actress Ashley Park and Robert Rabensteiner, among others.
Launched in 1983 as a casual outdoorsy collection, the brand is part of the Max Mara Fashion Group’s portfolio and is available in about 250 monobrand stores and department stores globally.
