The first look in Brandon Maxwell’s resort collection is a black pantsuit, streamlined and sleek in his familiar fashion, save for the details. The jacket’s brass buttons were hand-hammered by Maxwell himself for a ripply three-dimensional texture and the brass belt buckle was hand-poured. No two buttons or belt buckles will be the same. His aesthetic may be minimal, but he pours his heart and soul into his work.
Navigating personal losses, his recent collections have been reserved and controlled. “There wasn’t a ton of whimsy,” he explained at a showroom visit. But this season marks a turning point. “I came back sensory focused and craft focused, thinking about items.”
He worked with the knitwear expert Ryan Roche on this season’s knits, which range from matching clingy ribbed top and skirt sets to chunky marinière striped polo necks, not pictured in the lookbook but in evidence in the showroom. He also has some terrific outerwear in the vein of American sportswear greats Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, including a classic peacoat and cropped gabardine trench, and a more extroverted cotton silk coat with a crinkly metallic finish. If and when those designers start thinking about succession plans, Maxwell should be in contention.
But the real news here was the whimsy. It came in the form of shirts, skirts, and dresses inlaid with peekaboo organza flowers decorated with Swarovski crystals. The shirt in particular had a real Texas twang. He hinted that a sense of play will continue into his spring 2025 collection. “There’s a lesson in not pulling back,” he said. “You just have to keep moving, and try to have fun.”