BOTTEGA VENETA F/W 2010: IN THE SHOWROOM
Bold beetle accents and other surprises from Bottega Veneta...
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A few days ago I headed over to the Bottega Veneta showroom, located atop their Fifth Avenue Manhattan flagship, to get an up-close view of the brand’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection, just a few days after the pieces got back from Milan.
 This season, the Tomas Maier-designed collection centered around line and movement. In a testament to the unparalleled quality of Bottega’s fabrics (many of which are custom), even the leather pieces were light and airy. After touching them, I could have easily imagined Maier creating a flouncy skirt out of the supple leather. The color palette included ink blue, chocolate, bottle green, carbon gray, and black, which were complemented by touches of iridescent metallics to tie in with the beetle-inspired (yes, beetle as in the bug) accessories.
 The structure and movement contrast was most evident in the cocktail looks, many of which had intricately detailed bold shoulders created in opposition with layers of delicate flowing fabrics from the waist down. Among the lighter fabrics, there was washed silk twill, Japanese triacetate cady, crinkled chiffon, silk chiffon, silk crepe, and silk-and-cashmere jersey, which served as a contrast to the wool, cashmere, brocade, double-knit wool, and shearling used for the more structured silhouettes. Of particular note was a brown coat made out of specially commissioned Steiff fabric - made by a stuffed animal company, which is a fashion first.
 The best thing for me about seeing the clothing up-close – besides being awe-struck by the quality of the fabrics – was to get to see the inner construction of the garments. Even the pieces that appear simple have incredibly intricate constructions, and many were made with built-in bustiers.
 As for the handbags, shoes, and jewelry, they were all blatantly beetle-inspired. From metallic and iridescent shoes and classic Bottega handbag silhouettes covered in beetles, to the utterly covetable chain beetle necklaces, each piece was more stunning then the next. It’s also worth noting that a number of the season’s bags were made using a new fabrication in which cellophane was woven together with leather (yes, it's as cool as it sounds).
 There was plenty to love in the Bottega showroom, but I personally cannot wait to try on some of the fabulously bold beetle necklaces come fall.
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