Entitled “Venere Vesuviana” (Venus of Vesuvius), Max Mara’s 2026 cruise show was set in the Royal Palace of Caserta, a stone’s throw from Naples and Mount Vesuvius. The event closes the cruise season, which, whether by coincidence or due to international tensions, saw most of the major European fashion houses opt for a less distant destination this year: Italy.
For Max Mara’s 2026 cruise show, Ian Griffiths, the brand’s artistic director since 2009 (but with 34 years at the house), chose to evoke the elegance of the post-World War II era, reinterpreting it in a contemporary spirit.
Seeing his models strut between the royal staircase and the throne room of the Palace of Caserta, it was hard not to think of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday (1953) or Funny Face (1957). But Italianness obliges, so according to Ian Griffiths, the source of inspiration is to be found in Italian neorealism with iconic transalpine figures such as Sophia Loren in Ieri, oggi, domani (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) by Vittorio de Sica (1963) and Silvana Mangano in L’oro di Napoli (The Gold of Naples) by the same director (1954).
The spearhead of the major fashion and luxury houses, the cruise collections, distributed from November to July, offer a mid-season wardrobe that blends perfectly with the lifestyle of wealthy eternal summer vacationers.
The Italian Versailles
Some 300 guests gathered on the evening of Tuesday 17th at the Royal Palace of Caserta to sip prosecco. Sharon Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joey King and Alexa Chung were among those in attendance, enjoying the spectacle combining aristocratic memories and modernity, as well as admiring the site’s magnificent water features.
Built in the 18th century by Luigi Vanvitelli and a symbol of the opulence of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the Reggia di Caserta (Royal Palace of Caserta) is the largest royal residence in the world in terms of volume. Like the original Versailles, Caserta is a former hunting lodge that was enlarged to accommodate not only the king and his entourage, but also the court and various ministries. The Baroque building, located 32 km north of Naples, has 1,200 rooms spread over five floors, covering a total area of 130,000 m². Since 1997, this Royal Palace, the main residence of the kings of Naples, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Read also > Cruise 2026 collections: luxury takes an Italian getaway
Featured image: Max Mara
