Last season Tomas Maier had us all a flutter with his sultry tea-dresses and forties silhouettes, so it seemed only right that for Autumn/Winter 2013 he'd take us in the opposite direction by offering up a collection that was precise and defined to the point of being stern. This was about structure rather than surface. So there was no print. Instead he's used wool to create voluminous, sculptural shapes that sat away from the body while working around the curves.
'It's about taking it a step a head from last season. I think this is more sharp and more angular and more linear, where as last season was a little bit more on the romantic side. It's a bit more decisive', he told me afterwards. Indeed, there was no nostalgia here, this was about precision. The narrative and fantasy of last season had been replaced by lines, pleats and folds to create shapes that were challenging and conceptual.
This was a different kind of luxury than what you might expect for the Bottega Veneta shopper. It was quiet and more considered - even the bags had been shrunk down to whisper rather than shout. But ask any woman today and they'll tell you that the new luxury is all about slow fashion. Fabric and cut - that's what we care about. So while the beauty and appeal of this collection was less obvious compared to the flattering frocks of Spring/Summer, it had a deeper, more relevant appeal given the direction that high fashion is heading. Trust Maier to be ahead of the curve.
