MILAN, Sep 26, 2009 / FW/ — For my first show of the day, MaxMara greeted me with an all khaki ensemble – a trench coat, a double-breasted suit jacket, pleated trousers, and tank top that is reminiscent of the look of a British Royal Army officer assigned at the Sahara Desert during World War II.

MaxMara Spring 2010

With the military influence front and center, MaxMara then played on the different shades of the desert from sunrise to sunset, with colors ranging from white to gray to beige and the deep orange of the sunset.

Yet the colors are just half of the story. The other half is the silky vests and trousers; the coat dresses and safari-inspired blouses both of which feature epaulets, even the loose fitting shorts that can pass for a skort.

A lot of basics bundled with a lot of extras that a woman can really use like the linear jacket that looks and feel comfortable and most of all, highly covetable.

[FELICIA PRINCE]