If Tomas Maier s Fall collection for Bottega Veneta was an exploration of the power woman s working wardrobe, Cruise is about, well, the power woman on holiday. That isn t to say there weren t some viable options for the city: a couple of slouchy takes on the fantastic double-breasted suits Maier put on the runway in February, for example, or a black sleeveless dress with a fitted rubber bodice and a full leather skirt. But for the most part, this was a leave-the-beach-and-toss-it-on kind of lineup, from a black nylon all-in-one to a magma red draped double-face silk dress to a washed leather jacket on top of sporty shorts. Cut from colorful Lycra, the T-shirts looked like ultrachic rash guards.
A relaxed sense of ease extended into evening as well, with a great-looking black tank gown slit up the side to reveal a flash of white fabric underneath. Maier paired it with lace-up gladiator sandals. Most of the shoes in the collection are forgivingly flat, save for an innovative brown suede sock/stacked-heel sandal combo. As for the bags, there s a lot of that all-important "newness," from a rubber bonded suede satchel to a completely seamless woven leather cube-shaped messenger. The hands-down winner, though, was the giant rubberized python tote. It might cost as much as a vacation rental, but that never stopped the Maier client before. Last week, a made-to-order event at the Fifth Avenue store was mobbed with women shopping for five-figure Bottega trophies.
