Bottega Veneta has enjoyed spectacular sales at a recent series of transatlantic trunk shows, suggesting that Tomas Maier may have licked one of fashion s most persistent problems. Price resistance? Pshaw! In his Milan showroom, the designer displayed, among other things, a $400,000 set of "herb-dyed" crocodile luggage. The artisanal detail is typical of Maier s work for BV, and other similar touches were evident throughout: the cotton lining in a pair of shoes made of velvet-soft perforated kid; the sterling-silver stitching on a tote; or the lizard engraved on the sole of a flip-flop. Sometimes, the strongest status symbol is one that no one else can see.
After an austere fall, Maier was looking for some sunshine and light, and he cited the primary-hued optimism of the color-field painters—Stella, Kelly, Rothko—as his inspiration. The artist s hand was obvious in stripes hand-painted on vintage leather bags or printed on a white cashmere vest. The effortless smartness of the collection was defined by a series of cotton-poplin jackets. Unlined but tailored, they were a little shrunken ("to elongate the legs" claimed Maier), and added a slightly twisted edge to the buoyant preppiness of striped shirts and white jeans. BV s trademark intrecciato woven leather was used to trim the pockets of Maier s new denims—and to adorn a steering wheel cover for the man who insists on maximum coordination.
