The anticipation was high for Daniel Lee’s first runway collection at Bottega Veneta. There were the new campaign images that injected a fresh, lo-fi glamour to the luxury brand, and there was the unquenchable post-Philo yearning for a Céline point of view (Lee previously worked under Phoebe Philo as the head of womenswear design). Undoubtedly, the 32-year-old designer’s Bottega Veneta debut show was a confident palate cleanser that pushed the pedal on the coolness factor. But unlike Celine’s rebranding, Lee refreshed Bottega by driving the house’s established design codes into a brave new world. He reworked the Intrecciato — the brand’s DNA — by amplifying it with wider latticework straps and shaping it into brilliant box bags and maxi totes. Leather was presented in various ways on clothing: an opening LBD, a quilted puffer coat, a laser-cut chainmail-like coat, and sculptural motocross pieces that gave a tough, androgynous edge linking to the men’s looks. The knitwear and neutral monochromes touched base with the quiet coolness of the brand, while the bright aqua and minty greens gave a crisp vibrancy. The footwear category spanned the spectrum with a mix of chunky unisex boots, quilted square-toe pumps, and in one instance, a delicate rope-knot strappy heel.
Editor
Joanna Fu