Tomas Maier, the Bottega Veneta designer, said "it's not a time to be ostentatious" with fashion, seemingly referring to our global economy. It is no surprise, then, that his handbag collection is not only beautiful, but also wearable year round. His version of downbeat luxury in muted browns—caramel through dark saffron, copper, and chestnut—is no less expensive in the execution of amazing fabric treatments and handcrafted leathers than it's ever been. Though Maier may have been conservative in design, but, thankfully, he had a vast selection of sizes and styles, something many other designers have held back.
The 2009 Spring collection had everything from carry alls to clutches, and in as many different materials. Bottega Veneta is famous for it's beautiful woven design, and this season they expanded on that design and made a more open basket weave design. One of the bags in this style was a multi hued amber carry all. Amber, the semi precious gemstone, comes in mostly shades of caramel and brown, but also green and yellow. These colors were the central theme in this collection so it's no surprise that many of the models were wearing amber jewelry. There were also lots of shoulder bags and clutches in patent leather, embossed leather, crocodile, snakeskin, and ostrich. This collection is by far my favorite from Bottega Veneta. I think Thomas Maier achieved his goal of creating beautiful and classic handbags that can be worn and re-worn for years to come.
Tags: bottega veneta, spring 2009