While the ready-to-wear had a decidedly Sixties “Mad Men” aesthetic to it, Tomas Maier’s fall Bottega bags were noticeably sportier and more relaxed in their shapes, many of them elaborately hand-worked in construction. Adding variety to the mix was the use of innovative materials to further illuminate the eccentric effect, illustrated, for example, in a satchel made of acid-rinsed silk velvet, hand-painted python, and washed ostrich. Can we discuss how gorgeous the new Cabat tote is? It’s in a delicious shade of yellow complemented by double crocodile handles. Amazing! The bags are, in typical Bottega fashion, utilitarian without sacrificing any of the style quotients. A new shape on the runway was a rectangular day bag with double python straps and a center zip that, on the outside, looks fussier than the typical Bottega bag. For evening, aside from the iconic Knot clutches, Maier introduced a handheld that features a framed body and closure but that which boasts a leather façade that is seemingly “shredded” to look like leather feathers in bloom. Gorgeous.
