MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS
in New York

1/11 Brooke and Amanda Ross

Where do style-stumped New Yorkers go when they need a kick of sartorial inspiration? Straight to Amanda Ross. Stylist, editor, designer and newly minted blogger, the native New Yorker has a knack for spotting the Next Big Thing.

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But who does she credit her natural-born style savvy to? Her awesomely elegant mother, Brooke, of course. “The most important advice I received from my mother was how to edit,” Amanda reveals, “her wardrobe is always perfect.” Brooke’s pared-back approach to her closet means they can easily agree on one thing: they both go crazy for a camel coat. “It goes with everything,” says Brooke, “my uniform is usually jeans, loafers and a white top, and the camel coat compliments that perfectly.” Amanda, on the other hand, adds little more pizzazz: “I’m a layerer!” she readily admits, “I like to mix things up. As a stylist, I love that I can throw a camel coat over an outfit and it changes the vibe completely.” Here, she’s effortlessly paired it with her grandmother’s skirt from the 60s, a printed t-shirt and cowboy hat, in a perfect melange that confirms her status as boho mix master. In a family as chic as theirs, it was never a surprise that Amanda pursued a career in fashion, but Brooke may have been tipped off early on: “One of my earliest memories of Amanda,” she recounts,” is clomping around the house in my heels with a purse on her elbow, dripping with bracelets. She liked to layer,” Brooke laughs, “even back then.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS
in New York

2/11 Monica, Danielle and Laura Kosann

The Kosanns — sisters Danielle and Laura and their mother, Monica — are exactly what you would expect from born and bred Manhattanites.

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The trio are effortlessly chic, endlessly gregarious and strictly in-the-know on the best the island has to offer. As consummate girls-about-town, Danielle and Laura channel their weighty rolodexes and sharpened wit into one of the most buzzed about food blogs in NYC, The New Potato, while Monica is a celebrated fine art photographer and jewellery designer in the city. Arriving on set, they were keen to share their family’s history with Max Mara coats. “There are two main things the girls have stolen from my wardrobe,” Monica recounts, “both of them are my Max Mara coats!” Danielle is happy to confirm this, “I borrowed one when I studied abroad in Milan,” she admits, “but ten years later I still wear it every winter - it’s mine now.” The coat is a crowd favourite, the trio even gravitate to similar stylings, sleeves rolled up over brightly graphic ensembles. It’s clear the much-loved winter staple matches their multi-tasking, New York-paced style sense. It goes with everything,” Danielle enthuses. “I wear it out at night, I wear it during the day. I wear it running to get coffee in the morning. It really takes you through so many different outfits.” But for Laura, it’s the Old Hollywood glamour of the 101801 coat that pulls her in. Style-wise she’s a fan of glamorous statement pieces and classic Americana that look right at home cosied up in a corner booth of her favourite New York City haunt, the Carlyle Hotel’s Art Deco masterpiece, Bemelmans Bar. ‘There’s something nostalgic about the coat that I love,” she muses, “it’s timeless.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS
in New York

3/11 Nathalie and Laura De Gunzburg

What happens when you mix the understated chic of the French capital with the fast paced glamour of New York City? A wardrobe with the best of both worlds.

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"When I need something, I always shop in my mother's wardrobe," says Laura De Gunzburg, a New York-based editor and director of The Cultivist. Maman is the super chic Nathalie De Gunzburg, of Parisian birth and board director of the prestigious Dia Art Foundation. "His style is eclectic, very French, he loves to mix prints, colors, inspirations." Laura, born in Paris and raised in New York, admits she has absorbed Manhattan's "on-the-go" taste: "I could never give up on my sneakers," she explains. "But I always agree with a must-have coat". On the other hand, when we ask her to describe her personal style, Nathalie comments: "I like functional outfits, that's why I choose Max Mara," and adds, "Dresses should enhance personality, not make it worse." But a moment later she leaps his couture soul: with the aplomb of those who are quite comfortable with the most sophisticated elegance, she chooses to wear her coat 101801 draped naturally on a shoulder and combined with a fabulous light evening dress with a soft yellow finish, complete with a magnificent hood. Laura opted for a more casual styling. Leaving the Nathalie's Eurocentric approach, she chooses a pandi orange silk tailor made of orange tangerine, to which she slides over her coat, just like her mother. Together they could very well be exchanged for two very chic Milan surprises shopping in Montenapoleone Street ... However, despite some continental style notes, this so charming couple is 100% Newyorkese.

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS
in New York

4/11 Nina Griscom and Lily Baker

“Everybody in New York needs a good coat,” declares handbag designer and former model, Nina Griscom, “it’s a coat town.”

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We’re listening, because if anyone’s qualified to make that statement, it’s Griscom. The former high fashion muse and native New Yorker has done her fair share of global research. “My mother travels all over the world,” her daughter, Lily – an Advertising Sales Planner – tells us of her mother’s wardrobe, “and she always brings back something to wear. She takes a lot of risks.” Today, Griscom pairs an ornate beaded necklace picked up on a recent journey to Africa with a neutral outfit of khaki and cream that pairs flawlessly with her camel coat. But Lily, it turns out, is the risk taker today. She may describe her style as “classic and reserved,” but the traffic-stopping styling choice of a white, button-up crop top and vintage denim with a 101801 coat casually slinking off her shoulders makes it clear her mother’s more off-the-wall style sense is in there somewhere. “When I got older, I started wanting to borrow more from my mother,” Lily tells us of her recent sartorial evolution, “I’ve started to dress more edgy and find more unique pieces.” Which Nina, admittedly, is more than pleased about: “I’ve thrown out all of her cashmere sweaters,” she tells us with glee. Now that the pair have began sharing items from each others wardrobes, the 101801 has seen much more mileage, “the coat is good for everybody,” Nina affirms, “it’s all in how you interpret it.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS
in New York

5/11 Jennifer and Alix Creel

How can you be sure you’re bonafide New Yorker? A clue may be when a top-notch SoHo restaurant names a bespoke beverage after you. Luckily, we know just the person with such an accolade: jewelry designer, Jennifer Creel, whose coffee order (extra dry, skim milk) at mega-chic Sant Ambroeus is affectionately known as ‘the Jennifer’.

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Most days Jennifer can be found fluttering through upper Manhattan’s chicest spots, perfectly polished in timeless pieces like her own line of monogrammed jewelry. A few miles south, her daughter Alix – a student at the American University of Paris – stakes her ground below 14th St, making home of slightly hipper haunts (a favorite at the moment is the garden of the Bowery Hotel). And though there’s no cocktail bearing her name (yet), her slick, unfussy style is instantly recognizable as genuine downtown NYC. Ripped denim and leather jackets are go-to looks for the budding PR pro, “I always add colorful hints, like a scarf or jewelry to liven it up,” she says of her style, “then throw a camel coat on top, it’s such a staple piece you can add anything to it.” The duo’s style may reflect the typical Manhattan uptown/downtown split, but they both rock their 101801 coats like they’ve been glued to their shoulders for decades. Jennifer takes a cozily creative approach by styling it off-the-shoulder and snugly belted around a boho dress, while Alix leaves it loose and fresh paired with a graphic-printed DoubleJ sheath. Their wardrobes may be miles apart, but the superbly chic mother-daughter duo enthusiastically agree on one thing: “there’s nothing better than a camel coat,” Jennifer declares, turning to Alix, “what would we do without it?”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

6/11 Virginia Galateri and Evelina Christillin

Evelina Christillin is the quintessential chic Italian working woman.

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She’s run FIAT’s press office in Turin, taught the History of Sports at the University of Turin and was President of Turin’s Winter Olympic bid and eventual win. As a current writer for Italy’s Corriere della Sera, she continues to be attracted to no-nonsense clothes that get her through her busy day with practical elegance. “This coat is perfect because it doesn’t shrink or squeeze you,” she says of Max Mara’s iconic 101801, “and it’s always in great shape even after 14 hours of work.” Christillin’s first experience with a Max Mara coat came even earlier than this iconic model that was designed in 1981. “The first one I ever had was given to me by my mother a long time ago. It has a beautiful fur collar. I still have it and wear it.” Her daughter Virginia, a contributor to Vogue.it, grew up wearing classic coats too, but has only just recently rediscovered the allure of this model. “It used to be mandatory but now I want to wear it,” she exclaims, “I love it!” More fashion obsessed than her mother, Virginia tends to mix the coat with recent runway treasures or cool scoops off the street. “I like that it’s classy and traditional but it can be rocked at the same time with distressed jeans and boots,” she says. “You can mix it with anything—even a long skirt or dress. This is a perfect item—a must-have for me.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

7/11 Maria Cristina Buccellati and Carlotta Catelli 

As scion to the Buccellati jewelry empire, Maria Cristina Buccellati and her daughter Carlotta Catelli were bred with impeccable taste.

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Surrounded by the beauty of Italian fine jewelry handcraft honed over the last five centuries, refined elegance and a sense of tradition comes naturally to these women. Maria Cristina, who is Worldwide Communications Director for Buccellati, lives in Milan but is frequently jetting off around the globe. She does it while wearing a wardrobe of nearly-exclusive neutral shades of black, cream, navy and beige, never touching print and rarely wearing colour unless it’s during the summer months. “It’s easier to get dressed this way,” she admits of her condensed wardrobe choices. “I never throw anything away either, the pants I’m wearing are 12 years old.” Such investment pieces work perfectly with Max Mara’s 101801 coat, which is the perfect topper to her uniform of tailored trousers and cashmere sweaters, finished off by any number of glimmering, exquisitely-made Buccellati fine jewelry pieces. “You can really wear it with anything,” she says, patting the coat’s glossy, perfect finish. Buccellati bought her first Max Mara coat at age 21. “I still have it and wear it today.” Meanwhile, daughter Carlotta, a photographer based in Spain, wears the camel coat either more casually: with dark blue jeans and Converse all-stars, or with a flirty cocktail dress and high heels (as shown here). "I steal high heels from my mom’s closet all the time,” admits Carlotta. “I never wear anything skin-tight. I like flowy and casual clothes, that’s why I love the 101801 coat!”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

8/11 Cecilia Bringheli and Chantal Guggenheim

It’s hard to say who’s chicer: classically-turned-out CB Italy footwear designer Cecilia Bringheli or her stylish, globe-trotting mother Chantal Guggenheim who is printed in unexpected tattoos and comes jingling with fabulous ethnic jewelry.

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Either way, both Italian born women love the 101801 coat. “I adore Max Mara,” enthuses Chantal, “when I was 21 years old, I bought 3 Max Mara coats in one day; one black, one camel and one reversible black and camel!” Today, the 101801 coat remains a timeless go-to-piece in both women’s wardrobe, much like Bringhelli’s flat, hand-made-in-Italy slippers that go with everything. Whether they are running around Milan’s slick cobblestone streets or hopping on rocks at their holiday home in Positano, both women appreciate a practical staple that can be lived in. “You can wear this coat with everything,” says Cecilia. “And I really like the way you can belt it to see the line of the body or keep it open and wear it larger.” Both women favor a pared-down elegance, punched only with an occasional, statement-making piece. In Chantal’s case, it’s usually an oversized pair of earrings, from the many she has collected on her frequent travels to Indonesia. Cecilia prefers mannish, tailored separate pieces for her daily wardrobe. The key is “simple elegance without showing off,” she says. “Also, sometimes elegance is the way you are with people, not just the way you dress. My mom taught me that.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

9/11 Stefania and Micol Sabbadini

One of Milan’s top fine jewelers, tucked inside a tiny green-velvet-lined space in Via Montenapoleone, is run by the Sabbadini family.

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Stefania, the great matriarch, has overseen the company’s expansion while still demonstrating a flair for artfully composed dinner parties, impeccable manners, and even better hair. Her love for fashion has been a life-long pursuit from which her daughter Micol now benefits. “My mother’s closet is my favorite shopping center,” Micol laughs. “I steal everything- insane vintage pieces, bags and fur coats.” Another item she’ll soon be stealing is Max Mara’s famous 101801 coat—a key piece that Stefania first discovered decades ago. “It can be worn everywhere and you will always be chic,” she says. “This one designed by Max Mara in 1981 is still absolutely perfect.” Stefania chose to embellish her coat with a swarm of Sabbadini’s signature jeweled bee pins (“I never go out without them!” she says), finishing it off with a pair of suede pants and high heels. Micol, an art and fashion photographer based between Milan and New York, has a bolder look, choosing to show off her endless legs in a micro mini skirt and a set of platform sandals. “I’d also wear it with leggings or something fitted because the shape is oversized,” she says. “And this piece is amazing for travelling – it’ll match everything you brought in your suitcase.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

10/11 Carlotta Oddi and Marilena Oddi

Carlotta Oddi is one of Milan’s most stylish girls; a sophisticated ragazza who somehow manages to skip about town looking both as relaxed as a hippie and as cool as a romantic goth, while maintaining an impossibly fresh face.

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As fashion assistant to Vogue Japan’s editor-at-large and creative consultant Anna dello Russo, she’s accustomed to being surrounded by the very best of fashion’s newest, latest and hottest. Still, sometimes, the quiet easy glamour of a iconic coat hits just the right note with her fresh off the runway clothes. “It’s a key piece, something you really need in your closet,” she says. “What’s great is that it goes with everything and you can wear it both during the day and at night.” Carlotta paired her coat with cropped culottes, a mannish blue shirt and flat gold mule slippers, adding a touch of girlish glitter to the sober look. “I really like the oversized style because I love layering,” she observes. “You can wear two sweaters or even a jacket under it.” Carlotta’s mother Marilena, who still lives in Monza where Carlotta was raised, provided an early stimulant for her love of fashion. Marilena frequently brought her daughter on shopping excursions to Milan where she continues today to be a client of Dior, Chanel and, of course, Max Mara. “The first camel coat in my life was from Max Mara,” she says, with a smile. “It’s a classic and you can really wear it with everything.”

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS

11/11 Sveva Camurati and Maria Luisa Capitanio

Fashion flows through the Milanese thoroughbred blood of Sveva Camurati and her mother Maria Luisa Capitanio.

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Camurati’s grandmother was a famed dressmaker who made exquisite confections for the city’s well-heeled elite in her haute couture atelier after World War II. The fashion bug was passed on to Camurati who now runs her own jewelry label called Sveva in the city centre. Sveva’s jewels – much like the designer’s own preference for colourful, print-happy clothes- is maxima, artful creations that make a major statement. “Which is why I love this coat,” Sveva explains. “When you’re dressed as crazy as I am usually, you can’t wear a busy coat. You really need something minimal and cool. The 101801 coat is the perfect quiet piece to wear over a lot of loud pattern and print.” Sveva’s mother, a long-time psychologist based in Milan, used to wear a lot of Yves Saint Laurent in the 70s and 80s. Today she tends to wear more minimal pieces – black and beige—a clean day to night canvas for this coat’s simple lines. An impactful, feather and crystal-embroidered necklace adds a touch of whimsy to her elegant look. Meanwhile, Sveva’s teenage daughters Asia, 19 and Jaya, 21, also came on set to play around with the coat, pulling it on over their ripped jeans and doing air kicks. “I like that it’s oversized,” Jaya observed. “It’s super comfortable,” Asia said, “I’d wear it out at night for coffee with friends.” Their fashionable mother added another nugget of wardrobe wisdom. “Max Mara has always been a cavallo di battaglia[warhorse] for me,” Sveva said. “Something you always wear and never get tired of. Something you can pack for a trip and it goes with absolutely everything!”