Laura Lusuardi

Comfort and warmth seemed to be the bywords at Laura Lusuardi's Fall 2013 show for Max Mara, which opened on Thursday with a series of looks layered underneath voluminous, cuddly outerwear.

Lusuardi stuck to a well-edited color palette of camel, brown, mustard, gray, and black for this outing, and put extra focus on round-shouldered coats and jackets. Blazers and topcoats with pushed-up sleeves sat on top of oversize cardigans, wide-leg trousers, or silk windbreakers. (For added ease of movement, the models all wore sneakers made from suede and python.) Just a few pieces of knitwear, like a brown sweater with fur sleeves and a yellow-and-brown striped dress with leather accents on the shoulders, made it down the runway exposed to the open air, but by and large, the coat reigned supreme here. It's an emphasis that makes sense: Max Mara's outerwear is among its bestselling categories. But this show was as much about ease and pleasure as it was about commerce.

Exaggerated shoulder silhouettes, exotic prints, and a military-inspired palette? This can only mean one thing. Max Mara has taken us on an Out of Africa safari ride back to the power-suit '80s, and we're feeling the funkier interpretation of utilitarian wares. Sure, the draped trench-like blouses — in the silkiest shades of olive green and khaki brown — struck a must-wear chord, but right now, we've only got eyes for one piece. Meet our new obsession: the printed, oversized coat dress. Jump right into Max Mara's latest collection now, and come back soon for our full review.

Laura Lusuardi dispensed with this season's prevailing pastels and used leopard, plaid, khaki, and olive in her safari-themed Spring 2013 collection for Max Mara. The direction was obvious as soon as the first model came down the runway in a tone-on-tone khaki jacket with epaulets and plenty of pockets. Have pockets, will travel.

The journey continued with a variety of similarly militaristic looks (the multipocketed shirts continued, on occasion appearing in a cornflower-blue color that broke up the khaki and green well), but eventually spilled into ensembles that mixed prints: leopard mixed with plaid and with florals. Those materials appeared in alternating panels on skirts and in different sections of one wild trench coat. Just the sort of clothing the Max Mara woman will be hunting for come Spring.

For Max Mara's Fall 2012 collection, it was all about "twenties and Bauhaus rationalism" made for "the strong, determined woman, like Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes." The results? A robust artillery of militant-inspired cashmere coats, cropped trousers, and leather-embossed separates. A luxurious touch was injected into every look; cashmere jumpsuits were embellished with leather tabs and pea coats were styled with fluid silk trousers, most of which were paired with an array of leather and knit legwarmers. Standouts included an oyster-hued silk wrap dress paired with a double-faced leather and shearling oversized coat. More highlights from the collection below.

• Trends: Military, duster coats, oversized cropped pants.
• Colors: Army green, camel, oyster, black.
• Key Piece: The tailored oversized coat and languid silk gown combo was the perfect mix of rugged elegance.
• Accessories: Leather and knit leggings, militant caps, metallic silver pumps, houndstooth and leather satchels.
• Who Would Wear It: Celebs like Jessica Alba and Emma Stone have been spotted wearing past collections, and we can see them picking up a few of these pieces as well, especially the outerwear.

>> Max Mara's Fall 2012 collection mixed the stark aesthetic of Fritz Lang's Metropolis with a hint of Bauhaus architecture. The result? A moody assortment of clean-lined cocoon shapes and drop-waist silhouettes tinged with military sensibility. Angora, camel, cashmere, fur, and a sprinkling of stripes added texture — and luxury.