CITYist

Bottega Veneta’s fall/winter 2011-2012 collection is all about reinvention. The focus is the remaking of traditional menswear items in never before seen ways. With classicism and timelessness having dominated the market in 2010, Bottega Veneta is suredly leading the charge towards the next phase in men’s fashion: reinterpretations of classic style. The result is “a collection that is taut and urban, with an austere, streamlined sensibility.”

The color scheme for the collection is somber and earthy – utilizing pragmatic tones such as espresso brown, tourmaline blue, stone, rust, and pyrite gray. Garments are complemented by technicolor accents, and fitted to a narrow silhouette. Although reinvention is unquestionably the dominant theme, streamlined geometry comes in as a close second.

The collection is a pristine example of understated elegance – subtle innovation restrained by traditional styling. The pieces are steeped in aesthetic sophistication countered by versatility: lace-up boots can easily transition from formal to casual ensembles, for example.“We started thinking about the way we make things and what effect that has on the outcome,” explains Creative Director Tomas Maier, “If you make a piece of clothing in a new way, what else can you achieve? The elements that comprise a
man’s wardrobe don’t vary that much over time. So to evolve you have to reinvent what you already have.”