I am always ambivalent about Tomas Maier, whether for his
eponymous collection or for Bottega Veneta; I am never quite sure how to properly
express my sentiments about his work. While I may be on the fence about his
designs, what I remain steadfastly fixed on is that he is firstly a designer
with an amazing skillset and secondly that he has a set of standards for
quality that are, at lack of better words, Teutonic in their rigidity when it comes
to the quality of his clothes.
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Since I am not one to speak of back stories and the blah
blah blah of a collection, let’s cut to the chase and talk clothes… yes you know
that stuff that struts down a runaway in robotic sequence. Maier tends to
embrace a somewhat bohemian influence in his clothes which I occasionally find
a bit off putting but again, they are always rendered to an almost exquisite level
of perfection. Here the clothes are part of a most sophisticated color palette
that stretches far beyond the so called preferred designer palette of black,
grey and red and moves toward the most unexpected of fabrics. Maier goes off
the beaten track to ochres and teals and claret while utilizing the most
amazing almost couture like embellishments and techniques to deliver his
message. Now don’t get me wrong…. I really don’t know what that message is but I
surely can appreciate and revel in the art and craft of fashion with almost
every collection that he turns out for Bottega Veneta.
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It might be far more interesting for readers and followers
of fashion to have this kind detail pointed out to them rather than the regurgitations
of press releases and who is sitting in the front row. Maier is an artist, a craftsman,
an architect, a sort of mad scientist and an enthusiast of how fashion is made
and not about the shock and awe that it can produce... Think Tom Ford whose only
concern is to grab attention with shock and awe with only a modicum of talent.
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So the ball is in your court ... this is a collection that
does not have universal appeal but instead appeals to a small part of the fashion
population that considers creativity, quality and low key fashion as top
priorities when spending thousands on their wardrobes.
PS yes I am a sucker for all the tiger stripe pieces!
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