Bottega Veneta
MILAN, September 23, 2008
By Sarah Mower
"It's not a time to be ostentatious with clothes," said Tomas Maier backstage at Bottega Veneta, fingering an artfully faded-out floral-sprigged print on a tea-stained cotton shirtdress. "But our customer has never been like that. And it's not about seasonal dressing anymore—that's gone. People like clothes they can collect and wear for years." Maier's alertness to the sensitivities of our troubled times is part of an emerging picture in Milan. His version of downbeat luxury in muted browns—caramel through dark saffron, copper, and chestnut—is actually no less expensive in the execution of amazing fabric treatments and handcrafted leathers than it's ever been. But intuitive designers cannot help but figure collective anxieties in their work, and something in this collection—albeit at the highest-flown level of sophistication—speaks of the need to hold on to permanent values, to lie low and even, maybe, stay home.That is something of a turnaround for a label aimed at the outgoing high achievers of the world. It wasn't so obvious at the outset, when Maier's minimal leather pinafores, olive-drab jumpsuits, and over-the-head mushroom dresses looked like a quieter version of business as usual. But the second half of the show held the surprise: shirtwaisters and dirndls in fabrics inspired by frayed curtains, antique wallpaper, and furnishings that roused a fleeting but distinct sense of the American prairie, threadbare times, and the colors of the dust bowl.
/
/
/
see all designers ›
Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear
#
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
N
|
O
|
P
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
Y
|
Z
|
-
#
3.1 Phillip Lim -
A
-
B
-
C
-
D
-
E
Eley Kishimoto Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
F
Fashion Fringe Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio -
G
Gap Gareth Pugh Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Black G-Star Gucci -
H
Haider Ackermann Halston Hanii Y Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria House of Holland Hussein Chalayan -
I
Iceberg Isaac Mizrahi Issa -
J
-
K
Kai Kühne Karen Walker Karl Lagerfeld Koi Suwannagate Kris Van Assche -
L
L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin La Perla Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Goldin Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luella Luisa Beccaria Lutz & Patmos -
M
-
N
Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Nathan Jenden Nicole Miller Nina Ricci -
O
Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Ossie Clark -
P
Paul Smith Women Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Phi Philosophy Pollini Ports 1961 Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
R
-
S
Sabyasachi Salvatore Ferragamo Sari Gueron Shipley & Halmos Sinha-Stanic Sonia Rykiel Sophia Kokosalaki Sophie Theallet Stærk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Sue Stemp -
T
Tao Temperley London Thakoon Threeasfour Tibi Todd Lynn Tommy Hilfiger Topshop Unique Tory Burch Tracy Reese Trovata TSE Tuleh -
U
Undercover United Bamboo -
V
Valentino Vena Cava Vera Wang Vera Wang Lavender Label Veronique Branquinho Versace Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
W
William Rast Wunderkind -
Y
Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
Z
Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo
ERROR:
