There was a feeling of everything coming together for Maja Dixdotter this season. The designer had an art-adjacent eccentric in mind when ideating the collection; in planning the visuals, she was interested in finding a way to do “more of a portrait instead of just a shoot.” Re-enter Conie Vallese, the Milan-based Argentinian artist who modeled the brand’s pre-fall 2023 line up, and was again featured for this confident and grown-up collection. It was photographed at a location of Vallese’s choosing, an estate outside Florence, which evoked the feeling of a Mediterranean get-away. Poolside options included a maillot paired with a black-and-cream striped crochet sweater and hat and a tunic with inset bands of lace. A pearl-colored tunic with peek-a-boo insets of lace (a nice continuum with the material from pre-fall 2024) was a perfect cover-up. For town, there was a natty set, a long khaki vest with points at the front hem and A-line skirt which provided a welcome borrowed from the boys element to a collection that tended toward the dressy. The deep, luxurious faux fur trim on a white, V-necked night look, a caped caramel satin caped-number, and printed silk evening pajamas had an alluring ’60s contessa kind of vibe that was on theme. More versatile, and easier to pack for vacation, were less decorative designs such as a long, slim lilac knit dress with flower trim, a flowy, printed caftan, and a feathers trimming a midi-length dress and accessorized with heart thong sandals.
Having taken the decision to include at least one hand-crafted touch in every collection, this season Dixdotter worked with a collective in Madagascar who handmade the raffia bags using material they grew. The lace was also artisanal, made in India. The importance of supporting craftspeople and their skills cannot be stressed enough; it is wonderful to see this mission being carried out not only at the luxury level but by a brand that has relatively accessible price points—and a lot of eyes on it.