Touch, colour, shape, and form were the key pillars that held up Bottega Veneta’s spectacular SS24 show.
No gimmicks, no clickbait, just pure craftsmanship at Matthieu Blazy and the house’s preference — a masterfully orchestrated odyssey through the many cultures that have enhanced our understanding of texture play.
As much as “quiet luxury” has been tagged to the brand’s visual identity at present, this collection barely gave any room for silence to percolate exclamations of wonder. A cacophony of design elements that remind of nature’s own displays of pattern came stringing in numerous fringe and knit numbers, recalling exotic cacti, tropical birds and even the scales of butterfly wings.
Then there’s also semblances of tribal dress, the leather fringing on the collar of some dresses and the shawl-like draping across the chest on some buttery coats clearly bringing to mind the traditional dress of South American origins. Even a green sandal had straps that looked like banana, or even pandan, leaves. Yes, Blazy was referencing cultures, albeit very ambiguously.
But this was always part of the plan; the departure from Blazy’s three-part love letter to Italy has only liberated the designer’s worldly love for richness, and this array of sublime, couture-level creations do nothing to pare this infectious passion back.
Maybe the sweaters are a tad too big for Spring Summer, but what is a little bit of extra heat in a lukewarm fashion climate? We haven’t even started on all the new XXL bag silhouettes and refreshed Sardines and Cobbles, map legends of Blazy’s Bottega Veneta world. At this rate, the final destination is no longer important. Wherever it is Blazy is going to, fashion and its craft are more than keen to come along for the ride too.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our September 2023 issue.
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