Bottega Veneta fall 2022

I must say that Matthieu Blazy has reframed his vision for the brand so that it no longer looks like comic strip characters and cartoonish accessories. Don’t get the wrong idea, this is a long way away from the “when your own initials are enough” days and Laura Montaldo. There are whispers of Tomas Maier in the collection BUT Blazy has most certainly taken the assertive stand that Bottega Veneta is brand focused on leather and in particular its use of their intrecciato technique. I’d say the collection is now skewed toward grown-ups of an undetermined age but with needs for both the classic and trend.

                                                                         click image to enlarge

I do think there was a lot of repetition, a lot of filler and not a totally clear message in terms of silhouette. The thick platforms, the Wookie shoe and the overused over the knee boot should have been replaced by some fabulous shoes for both men and women. One of my biggest pet peeves, no matter the brand, is that a when you show evening clothes, why on earth do you show them with leather daytime bags when you have already used metallic leathers which would have been far better the pieces in presenting a total look. Plus, way back when, Bottega did the most exquisite low key woven satin minaudieres at a time when the only competition was Judith Leiber and hers were far more complex.

                                                                          click image to enlarge

                                                                          click image to enlarge

I’m not sure what the two shirt tail pieces were in terms of shirt? Dress? Tunic? And why just 2 of very similar fabrication? Another difficult moment occurs when leather dresses are either not properly fitted or using the incorrect grade/weight of leather which causes them to gap.

                                                                           click image to enlarge

                                                                           click image to enlarge

With all of the nonsense that I found to be I guess that I found fault with,  I’d much rather see the collection looking like this than the cartoonish collections designed by his predecessor!

Bottega Veneta spring 2020

One has no choice but to accept when musical chairs is played within the world of fashion but that doesn’t mean that the latest iteration of a collection will reflect what the brand was built upon or where it left off in the hands of the last designer.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Tomas Maier for all that he was or wasn’t  gave Bottega  Veneta panache, slick fashion, minimalism, an urbane edge and at  times some arty craftsy  looks which  one either liked or didn’t. My point here is quite simply that Maier’s successor, Daniel Lee, demands us to mourn the loss of Maier who put Bottega back on the fashion map and created something that really never existed before him. The clothes now are generic to say the least and worse that that they are tired and unoriginal and not befitting a brand’s stature. They are more mass looking than their prices will command.Daniel Lee has

certainly taken the brand down a few notches in more ways than one. 

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

He, in his fervor to put his mark on the brand, has demonstrated his lack of knowledge as to how and what made this brand a prestige brand as well as what its vocabulary is all about. It is not just about leather but about how the leather was treated and how it was worked and manipulated and not just used as a substitute for woven fabric, let alone that the target audience is not 25.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Bottega Veneta prefall 2019

While consulting VOGUE .com in search of Tomas Maier’s replacement, I came across this quote from the new designer … “I think there’s a need for a return to elegance and sophistication. “ Daniel Lee, former assistant to Phoebe Philo of Celine fame.

click image to enlarge

So my question is simple … whose collection was he speaking of or possibly he needs to define what elegance and sophistication means in his vocabulary AS THESE CLOTHES RELFECT NEITHER.

click image to enlarge

Maier was a love hate affair when some seasons were just exquisitely beautiful and others not so much but they always reflected a certain refinement and precision that he infused and coupled with the brand. Here I see a whole lot of “meh” clothes with “geta” like sandals and yes prefall wouldn’t be complete with a straw bag from a fabled heritage brand known for their leathers and intricate leather work.

click image to enlarge

I say the system is broken and the so called fashion media needs to call out these designers as basically being full of shit and I might as well say it  … talentless or clueless when it comes to reimagining these heritage brands.

click image to enlarge

This is a stunning example of what can go astray…..  The future will be more than interesting to see… as for the men’s collection, I guess Mr. Lee has no idea how expensive these clothes are for those who wish to emulate his homies!

click image to enlarge

BOTTEGA VENETA FALL 2018

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. 

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

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.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

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.

click image to enlarge

click image to enlarge

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!

Bottega Veneta MFW fall 2017

Donatellamamamia… TAKE NOTE!!!! This is what happens when you take a stand and not bother with the so called trends of the moment. To me, this is a huge departure for Maier who emphatically states through this collection that classic is not boring and retro is not dated… enter the strong shoulder… not the exaggerated shoulder but a strong demanding powerful silhouette.

click image to enlarge

Obviously, there is an equestrian bent to it at the onset and then it is all about the crisp sharp tailored pieces which some will say meh and I say they are sexy, laser sharp in their edges and what fashion is really missing and that is clothes to wear… no pretense… no blah blah … no gimmicks or sight gags. 

click image to enlarge

The next diversion or tangent for Maier is the 40s with dresses that memorialize those of that era yet they look totally au courant and massaged to be contemporary. Maier clearly has a deft hand when interpreting references of the past. If one wanted to be a bit more esoteric, one might say he drew inspiration from the infamous 1971 Saint Laurent haute couture collection that raised the ire of the international fashion press.

click image to enlarge

Nonetheless, I’m all in here... This was flat out polished chic, sophisticated, urbane, and so hard hitting without any reliance on any trickery or deflection from the fact that this is all about fashion! Yes, Virginia there are clothes you can WEAR!  Great coats... great separates… great palette … daywear... dinner dresses... great evening... OH MY… a collection!

click image to enlarge