Soft Focus
Review of Brandon Maxwell Spring 2025 Fashion Show
By Mark Wittmer
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Elegant ease. Fluidity. Nonchalance.
Brandon Maxwell sees Spring 2025 as a subtle dance of elegance and effortlessness, proposing a subtly softer and looser sensibility for an evolved vision of American ease. Last season, the designer began to balance out his occasionwear with a broader offering of flexible pieces more attuned for women’s everyday lives, and this collection continued that practice while working to further blur the boundaries between elegance and ease, playfulness and polish.
The atmospheric soundtrack began with the sound of cascading water, and the opening looks were similarly fluid and light: a sculptural asymmetrical wrap tops, a sheer skirt, feather-light appliqué tassels fluttering like sea foam. Despite the feeling of watery fluidity and some cuts borrowed from swimwear, nothing felt resort or vacationy; this elegant woman is right at home in New York – but with her fishnet sandals and roomy handbag, she’s ready to make a quick getaway. Oversized utilitarian jackets lent an urban edge, while tops and dresses with short unbuttoned plackets hinted at the underwear-as-outerwear trend.
The soft palette of whites and blues unfolded into unexpected citrines and then to a soft pink in the form of a silk dress paired with a cozy oversized cardigan – a move that might not sound like it would work on paper, but in person, it was a pleasant surprise, and was emblematic of the more intuitive place from which Maxwell is designing and thinking about dressing.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I’ve taken the lessons that life has handed me about control and the lack thereof and translated them into the collection. I’ve softly unraveled the brand DNA to create garments that foster a sense of calm and confident nonchalance.”
THE WRAP UP
While that nonchalance meant there were a few moments that felt confusing or didn’t carry forward the collection’s internal design logic, for the most part it was exciting and refreshing to see Maxwell let himself embrace new possibilities and let his established brand DNA flow through spontaneous leaps of style. The brand has always been very connected with an idea of luxury for contemporary women, and this collection embraces the reality that contemporary women are far more than just one thing.
