An emailed press release from Max Mara starts as follows: “Max Mara is launching its first-ever invisible coat that wears like a second skin.” And in a sea (read: thousands) of emails, that one caught this beauty editor’s attention—partly because the brand hasn’t released a fragrance in years, and partly because, well, was this even a fragrance pitch? Or had I somehow landed on a fashion press release by mistake? Turns out, it’s the former: the luxury Italian label has officially unveiled its newest fragrance, Le Parfum ($180), available now—its first release since signing a licensing deal with Shiseido, the Japanese beauty giant, in 2024.
The fragrance takes inspiration from the brand's signature 101801 Coat ($4,490), a camel-hued wool wrap coat with a loose, enveloping fit that’s remained one of Max Mara’s most recognizable pieces since it debuted in 1981. Like the coat, Le Parfum plays with structure and softness simultaneously through its fragrance notes. It opens woody, with musky sandalwood and cedarwood, before a creamy tuberose heart takes over, then settles into warm vanilla and benzoin.
And the architectural bottle design plays into the inspo, with a lacquered camel belt wrapped around its center, embellished with the same signature stitching found throughout the coat itself. It’s also refillable, and beyond the eau de parfum, the line also includes a matching shower gel and body lotion, which you can wear à la carte or layer together for a longer-lasting scent trail.
Naturally, the coat is also part of the campaign imagery for Le Parfum, draped over Max Mara ambassador Florence Pugh’s shoulders. By her own account, both the coat and the fragrance made her feel her best. “I feel calm, warm and instantly more confident—like I’m standing a little taller without even thinking about it,” she told Harper's Bazaar about her experience wearing it.
“A sense of readiness comes with it, as if everything has fallen quietly into place,” she continued, poetically. “You feel composed and present, ready to embrace whatever comes next without hesitation or struggle.”
If Pugh’s musings are, in fact, so true, I'm eager to justify the financial commitment and place an order for both the fragrance and coat for fall because, I mean, who couldn’t use a little extra readiness walking into the busiest season of the year? Shop both below, and note that the perfume comes in four sizes, ranging from a travel-size to a traditional 3.3-ounce version, the latter of which is linked below.
