Bottega Veneta S/S 2023 Milan

[tctra]

nothing outstanding here. like it or not, lee made waves with his debut. this is nice, chic, but ultimately generic

 

[RaisinBoy]

This is a sad version of Phoebe and Lee.
This is what Bottega would be if Zara did a rip off of Daniel Lee’s Bottega honestly.
Reminds me of sad days of Raf’s Dior which presented a 1950s woman in 2000s - old fashioned, not modern, but trying.
Very disappointing.
Won’t even bother to comment on menswear - did they bring back that Meier designer who was doing Bottega before Daniel Lee to do it?!?

 

[Frederic01]

I'm in agreement with all those who say this is rather average. I'm not impressed by any of this collection to be honest. It's way too chaotic, and lacks the laser sharp focus and editing of Daniel Lee's offerings.

The womenswear is okay, but nothing spectacular. Those first few "denim" looks look like the rejects of a CalvinKlein205W39NYC collection and are very weak openers, even if they are made of leather.

The menswear is an abomination and they need to get someone in the mens department ASAP to fix it up. Those rolled-up cuffs on the suit pants paired with cowboy boots are particularly foul, as are those abstract/tribal prints.

On a side note, I wonder how his first collection is doing in terms of sales. I don't see the accessories dominating like Daniel Lee's did in terms of street style or anything like that? I also haven't seen anybody wearing the clothes either, apart from the celebrities/influencers that were dressed for the show and the people working for the brand?

 

[depordetioz]

So tasty I knew he had it in him it's not "revolutionary" and it doesn't have to be, cause thats not what he was going for

 

[susseinmcswanny]

A few deets. Hopefully there will be more to come soon


source: theimpression.com

 

[Fiercification]

I do like what he's doing for Bottega, well sort of. However I'm starting to find the hype around him a bit much. This is a similar set up to his debut outing in that there are some very luxe clothes, which are still truly 'ready to wear' in the truest definition of the word. Particularly the middle section of all black looks is solid. Yet at the same time it feels like there are too many ideas and moreover there's this frustrating undertone that we should see this as oh so cutting edge. Although I would blame Daniel Lee for the latter issue, he really dragged the status that Maier build for this brand over the years down the sh*tter with his ugly, hype designs.

Anyway, I'm still relatively optimistic about the direction of Bottega under Blazy but I would just like to see more cohesion and focus on the timelessness that this brand once offered, rather than the recent sensationalism.

 

[THD96]

Love it. Great clothes, perfect styling. The 90s American minimalism inspired by Calvin Klein and Donna Karan was done right. And since this has been missing in the scene for quite some time, it's quite refreshing.

Just like his first collection, I'm sure there are more than meet the eye with his clothes.
The denim is all leather, and apparently, Kate's flannel shirt required 12 layers of prints to achieve that.
And I'm obsessed with the look 7 coat, the best look in this collection. The last 3 dresses are divine.
This is what I love about Matthew and his approach. He takes Bottega back to its original philosophy, which is well-made clothes that you should try on yourself because pictures online are not enough.
I love that he strips down all the noise by Daniel, no more obnoxious colors, no ugly pieces for the sake of ugly. No more ugly shoes, I'm tired of seeing Daniel's shoes now, they aged horribly.

That being said there are few things he can improve next season.
The menswear is still safe, push it a little further.
The bags and shoes can be more eye-catching.

No more gimmicks, no more stunts, that the BV that I love. Bottega is one of those quiet luxury brands and they should always stay that way. This house doesn't need hype or cool to survive.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Definitely better than the last collection. And I will eat my words because Blazy has proven me wrong (although I don't the hype over him I still don't get...). There is still a sting there though because we all know what the Blazy, Mulier and Simons trio did to Calvin Klein so I am a bit apprehensive.

This felt very Italian in essence. There was a timeless chicness that was ever present in Tomas Maier's Bottega that I'm glad to have back in full swing to be honest with some beautiful craftsmanship. There's still a lot of this I don't actually like; the two bags in hand I hate, the shoes are a bit hit and miss, some of the prints and colours are still a bit off, styling/layering doesn't always make sense and some of the fabrics are a bit flat. But what they exude in mood makes up for it.

Love, love, love look 34. So effortless, so chic, so strong. I want to know this person, yet I'm kind of fearful of them. Mariacarla looks gorgeous, and love the stovepipe nicklines on a lot of these pieces too.

All in all, really good and a lot of diversity in pieces. Unfortunate for Ferragamo to be before this, as it kind of pales in comparison in some parts.

Edit: The menswear does leave little to be desired. But this isn't the only collection this season to do that so I blame the suits for wanting it to be pushed so intensely to have it done and presented so early on in his tenure. Felt the same about Daniel Lee too when he started. It isn't his strength but they're trying to make it his strength.

 

[Wintergreen]

You can get those shirts on Kate and the opening model for €4.99 on Carrefour. But I liked everything else, I thought it was very pleasant and on point.

 

[Rigida]

Fantastic show!!

 

[Bugsy]

This is a nice collection but nothing really stands out. Still, I like it but don’t think I’ll remember it.

 

[donyan]

I loved this, most of all because it feels like FASHION. Beautiful, interesting clothes that seem both complex and simple. I also loved those first few looks because they feel like an integral part of the collection, like the beginning of a story.
What struck me also was how it compares to Balenciaga and Gucci now, with both the latter feeling cheap and merchandised in comparison to the elevated feel of luxury and true desirability of these clothes. The fact that this feels so much fresher and modern makes me wonder if we have arrived at a fashion watershed

 

[tricotineacetat]

And is that really denim in the opening looks, or another textile that was designed to look like it? Yeah, I can see where “more than meets the eye” can apply here.

I guess it's a continuation of the 'leather meant to mimic stone-washed jeans' he already did last season - Which, to be perfectly honest, I thought was the most snobbish and corny idea he could come up with; why would youelaborately treat leather to look like you bought a pair of jeans with a mediocre washing, on top of that with all the impractical assets and price leather demands? Does it improve in any which way on what a pair of jeans already offers?

The answer is, no, it's purely just because he can and Bottega's customers can afford it - So in the end it's really just about a display that you probably wear the most expensive pair of jeans in the room - The whole thing epitomizes in Kate Moss' outfit, which is about the most banal look a designer could put out on a runway, but will probably end up being the most expensive jeans and flannel shirt of the season...

 

[Ruito]

I actually prefer this collection over his previous, feels more mature and more assured than his debut. Big improvement also regarding the men's clothes, they coalesced very well with the women's in a way that felt very seamless and natural. Also KATE MOSS!

 

[RaisinBoy]

It's Tomas Meier doing Raf's Dior and Calvin, or in less words — oh no for me.

 

[gossiping]

this is nothing special, it just blends in with everything else.

the bags are particularly awful. not really desirable.

 

[YohjiAddict]

I never really did like Daniel Lee so it’s incredibly easy for me to love this new iteration of Bottega and forget all about that nauseous green.

This is much more rich, varied and it just kept me fascinated from beginning to end. The tailoring alone could have me entranced for a month. It showed a great range from Blazy without feeling random.

This collection and the last one do feel like the start of a significant shift in fashion, looking back at Jil Sander’s show…it feels even more outdated and ridiculous, trying to cling to something that we’ve already surpassed.

 

[Beun]

I like it! You see that a lot of effort has been put in the tailoring and the craft. It's very chic, very bourgeois, very Milanese - the kind of market segment that Prada dominated for so long but abandoned these last few years. I miss the cultural references of his debut outing - the homage to the futurists brought an extra intellectual dimension and cohesion to his first collection that we don't seem to find here anymore. They should stop showing menswear and womenswear together though, the former is always lost in the attention brought to the latter.

It's a shame that BV is so overpriced - a lot of these pieces seem very desirable.

 

[Lola701]

I like it! You see that a lot of effort has been put in the tailoring and the craft. It's very chic, very bourgeois, very Milanese - the kind of market segment that Prada dominated for so long but abandoned these last few years. I miss the cultural references of his debut outing - the homage to the futurists brought an extra intellectual dimension and cohesion to his first collection that we don't seem to find here anymore. They should stop showing menswear and womenswear together though, the former is always lost in the attention brought to the latter.

It's a shame that BV is so overpriced - a lot of these pieces seem very desirable.

Tbh, I don’t find the prices at BV overpriced. It’s expensive but it’s not outrageously expensive. What can be frustrating is that the leather pieces, which is the DNA of the brand, can like cost an arm and a leg but the rest is quite fairly priced.
The issue will be production. How much of it will be produced and available in stores.

I think they should really put more focus on knitwear because that’s one category they did well with Daniel Lee and that was fairly « accessible » in a way.

 

[Beun]

Tbh, I don’t find the prices at BV overpriced. It’s expensive but it’s not outrageously expensive. What can be frustrating is that the leather pieces, which is the DNA of the brand, can like cost an arm and a leg but the rest is quite fairly priced.
The issue will be production. How much of it will be produced and available in stores.

I think they should really put more focus on knitwear because that’s one category they did well with Daniel Lee and that was fairly « accessible » in a way.

I don't know, more than 2000 € for a man's wool overshirt seems fairly overpriced to me... I am all for paying the right amount for craftsmanship and impeccable fabrics, but it still feels that they are artificially inflating the price for the sake of the brand's exclusivity.