Despite Matthieu Blazy’s arrival at Bottega Veneta only a year ago, considering how confidently he has conveyed his creative vision so far, it feels like an alliance that was destined from the start. “I loved the idea of the parade in Italy, a procession, a strange carnival, a crowd of people from everywhere and yet they all fit together and go together in one direction,” says the creative director. I wanted to look at what makes people gather together in a place without hierarchy, where everyone is invited.”
Blazy consistently transforms the mundane – think corporate wear and shopping bags – into something luxurious. Underpinning the entire collection was the concept of chicness; what does it mean to embody it? In a collection of familiar styles, Blazy’s models strutted down the runway, just like any other savvy commuter navigating the packed streets of Milan during rush hour. From signature, woven-leather accessories to grey flannel pajamas reimagined as supple napple leather, and the white tank top that closed the show; Blazy elevated wardrobe staples to the most luxurious versions of themselves.
There is no doubt that some of Blazy’s characters occupied extravagant and romantic identities, however. A cascade of scales and feathers shimmied down the runway, as if en route to a glittering, quintessentially Italian party – à la The Great Beauty. In contrast, Blazy dressed his “sartorially obsessed industrialist” in leather trench coats embossed with crocodile prints – a figure he paints vividly in the show notes.
Accessories are Bottega’s bread and butter, and Blazy triumphed in simultaneously respecting and evolving the brand’s rich leather heritage. From its iconic knotted leather bucket bags, now slung over the shoulder like a water pail, to the use of Murano glass as the translucent handle to its Sardine bags. Upholding the idea of the Italian parade as an apotheosis of emotion and personal pleasure, showgoers were treated to what seemed like super cozy bed socks but were actually soft leather boots, and frolicsome jellyfish-inspired clogs.
À la fin de la journée, the Bottega vision is simple; craftsmanship meets culture, and Blazy is 100% dialed in.
Cody is the Editor in Chief and senior contributor at liminul.
He is a photography aficionado, fashion enthusiast, avid Lana Del Rey fan, and lover of all things aesthetically pleasing.
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