Elliot and Isabel

Just when Milan (and it’s predecessors) needed a kick in the arse/some kind of upper/a thousand Red Bulls, along came Tomas Maier and Bottega Veneta to save the sinking ship that was S/S2012. I woke up late this morning (real late, like noonish) sort of groggy and dehydrated from the bottle of chardonnay I drank last night, only to be rescued both mentally and even physically by Bottega’s presentation. The adrenaline it instigated seems to have destroyed my hangover, which is amazing, because I suck at hangovers.

From a gorgeous opening set of looks – all, interestingly and noticeably, cast in African American-mixed race models – the wild detail and color and sixties/seventies vibe kept amplifying, or I should say kept slaying, all the way up until the bittersweet end. But a dated collection this was not – this was even a bit ahead of its time, bold, artistic – it looked completely fresh but still somehow strongly grafted to a crazier, more free-spirited age (think Janis Joplin but… clean. And not on a pharmacy of chemicals).

A gorgeous turquoise-colored and malachite-textured get-up, with cool shoes, and a bag I’d probably do terrible things to obtain. Another high-point, and you’ll see what I mean, was the plethora of dangly earrings.

This look took my breath away (and you can even see some people perking up in the front row). Patchy jeans, tousled and chunky scarf, colorful bag, perfect-as-always Bottega blazer – mind you, this will need to be worn by only the skinniest of women for full effect.

A BV signature here – always gotta pick one example – with the color-blocking. See the aforementioned long earrings?

Daring, risk-with-big-rewards coloring here. Maier did pants like this for men too, and I want them, and I want to wear them to the beach club for lunch on Spring Break. These are the kind of trousers that I think I love, and the kind of trousers that WASPy people will appreciate, because as buttoned up as they are, they love color more than anyone else on the planet. Should I get these pants for my 92 year old grandfather and we can be twinsies? Ritz crackers and Planter’s punches please.

All in all, while not perfect – sometimes the collection got a little heavy with striped sewn elements that I didn’t love – it was a courageous and valiant presentation. It was also definitely a bigger jump than usual for Maier and his team from previous shows, but again, they never lose that intrinsic Bottega feeling of over-the-top but still discrete luxury. Also, if you are in the market for the chicest swimsuit ever created, look no further than outfit 32:

-Elliot “90% of my income goes to intrecciato leather” Templeton