December 20, 2018: Bottega Veneta announced Daniel Lee as their Creative Director earlier this year and the fashion world has been on the edge of their seats to see Mr. Lee visualises for the brand. With the Pre-Fall 2019 collection, Mr. Lee beautifully encompasses the fundamental principles of Bottega Veneta – the identity, the legacy – with a fresh approach, along with respect for craftsmanship, exemplification of natural material, and an ode to Italian heritage.
The collection is not too loud, colours are humble, natural – cordovan, espresso, amber and oxblood, punctuated with heightened shades and contrasted with chalk and Milanese black. The clothes are generous, warm with softer silhouettes. A sensuality is expressed throughout, be it coats or scarf-dresses. The Menswear toys with the concept of sprezzatura, an unstudied, natural ease that also informs the womenswear. There is extensive use of materials like cashmere and silk, wools, cottons, shearlings and every permutation of leather. The superlative leather working skills of Bottega Veneta’s artisans are expounded through accessories. Celebrating and exploring the intrecciato, methods of knotting, weaving, braiding are applied to a range of new handbags.
They also feature in footwear, streamlined variations of classic men’s footwear, and for women sandals and pumps with a squared toe. The box clutches and high-handled totes are minimalistic and use natural qualities of material to achieve their effects. Hardware on handbags and belts draws on Milanese Reductionism, which is also present in jewelry, with hammered balls and chains in gold and silver. This Bottega Veneta collection demarcates an authentic, lifted wardrobe for today.
