Bottega Veneta Spring 2012 Review
Photos: Imaxtree
Looks from the Bottega Veneta Spring 2012 collection.
Show: Bottega Veneta
Accessories: Handbags in python, cobra, karung, ayers, ostrich and six different treatments of crocodile, high, needle-heeled pumps with no platform
Overall takeaway: Craft gets sexy
“This season, we wanted to make clothes with a sense of freedom and high spirits,” said Bottega Veneta's creative director Tomas Maier. Really, that's a summary of what fashion should always be about: joy. It was certainly the message of this exceptionally strong Bottega Veneta collection, where Maier married his feel for handicraft with an upbeat, colorful mood that made this the most optimistic of all the collections he has created for the house.
It was also one of the most accessible—no explorations into the sometimes hefty and often heavy technique of the Bottega Veneta archives. Maier fought to make these crafty clothes anything but clumsy, and a testament not only to the skill of the Veneta workshops but also to his skill as a designer. The tiny, tightly-pleated garments showing a ripple of color from cyclamen through to apricot, a rainbow of purples and every shade of green looked simple, easy—to wear, not to make.
The greatest revelation, however, came with the evening gowns. So often, Bottega Veneta has fallen at this last hurdle, Maier understanding exactly what his moneyed, cultured client would like to wear before the sun goes down, but unable to translate his craft into a sophisticated evening vision. Extra credit is due, therefore, for the jewel-tone visions in fluttering chiffons that breezed along his runway with a bombshell glamor that still managed to look utterly modern.
SEE THE SPRING 2012 RUNWAY COLLECTIONS
