It’s impossible to be distressed by luxury, but in Milan today Bottega Veneta went ahead and distressed luxury. This season scaled back typically showy haut monde menswear in favour of ragamuffin suavity. Shapes appeared somewhat asexual and utility driven; unconstructed, dangly and at one with the flesh. The washed out ensembles had a rather sombre sexuality to them, which must be something to do with the shifting the tides of masculinity, even Veneta creative director Tomas Maier commented “I find it unbelievable what is going on, how men have changed.
It is crazy, just crazy – it as if men are taking over the female role in terms of display”. And the spring in his step was down to epicene libertine inspiration that “was about Baryshnikov and Nureyev – men who dance”. As you may of gathered, Maier certainly stressed conceptualism, so let’s talk about concept baby, let’s talk about you and me. In summers not yet past expect to see longjohns, yes, longjohns, which haven’t made such a star appearance in a long while in mainstream menswear, they work though, paired tactfully with light dissected knits.
From there, and from above, many a chest was revealed, with deep scalloped necklines on shirts in pallid hues with a fresh just-rolled-out-of-bed glow, even the darker moody navy and black shades didn’t feel flat. The Bottega male went about his day with serene content this spring summer, light-footing it in barely-there pumps with luxury backpack in tow, it was the typical essence of Bottega luxury for the mod con man.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com