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Bottega Veneta: Expertly Engineered
By: Godfrey Deeny
Photos courtesy of Bottega Veneta-FWD
Milan, Jun 28, 2002/FWD/ --- Far too many designers pay lip service to the idea of
experimentation in fashion. Not Thomas Maier.
In his latest men's collection for Bottega Veneta since becoming the house's creative
director last year, Maier again broke new ground with innovative use of leathers, construction
and detailing in an impressive lesson to design students everywhere on how to revamp a
fashion house.
BV is clearly a brand on a roll. The house opens flagship stores in Paris next weekend,
London in July and Milan's shopping Mecca via Montenapoleone in September, jointly designed
by Maier and Bill Sofield, the architect who has worked closely with Tom Ford of Gucci,
the company that owns BV.
Perhaps Maier's cleverest ideas were in footwear, especially his series of wonderful and
original loafers, which used elements of cycling technology and Italian artisanal skill.
Take the Venetian loafer -- a wonderful elongated shoe with beveled edges, brilliant
stitching and a micro logo, which is a butterfly stamped underneath the toe.
And to avoid the perennial problem of catching the heel on your ankles and marking your
trousers, Maier shaved down the inner edge.
"I like the idea that the customer sees the engineering," Thomas explained to FWD,
turning over a pair of superb Doge loafers with a cutout in their soles that revealed
the hand-stitching within.
For the weekend, BV also displayed some great new gear in sturdy linen with leather trim
and valises made of micro-skinny strips of leather woven with linen.
Also great for your trip to Fire Island or the Hamptons were some suede "messenger" bags
with lots of loops, creating a multi-functional sack for beach or business.
Maier added a fine new color this season -- a light muddy shade called Amazonia -- using
the silky calf leather in everything from weekend bags to steering wheels for pricey
convertibles.
Also impressive were some great white shirts in dense but super light Egyptian cotton,
deerskin jackets and jean jackets in BV's trademark woven leather.
About the only disappointment is that this editor's search for the perfect computer bag
continues.
BV did show a neat, padded satchel on woven leather that was close but not quite the cigar.
Alas, the grail continues.
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