It would take a lot for us to not f with Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega. The man is known for his serious craftsmanship techniques, and paired with Bottega Veneta’s insane leather craftsmanship heritage, it’s a dream team.
This season, the brand curated an arrangement of animal-shaped beanbags for the guests to sit in. Made from buttery Bottega leather, obviously. Bottega had A$AP Rocky sitting on a chicken beanbag, Kendall Jenner on a horse, and Jacob Elordi on a bunny one (a nod to his bunny ears campaign from earlier this year). It felt like we were kids again. We were all crammed up in our luxury leather plushie beanbags, like we were about to watch Pokémon in the lounge.
The concept of the SS25 presentation was childhood. E.T. – the extra terrestrial classic family movie from the ‘80s – was a big inspiration. The beanbags, for example, reimagined that one scene where E.T. is in Elliot’s closet, hiding among all the stuffed animals. And you could also see animal motifs within the collection: bunny graphics, frogs on brooches and clinging on heels, fish prints. Blazy kind of took a leaf out of Jonathan Anderson’s page, tapping into animal, cartoonish themes, but in his own personal refined aesthetic.
And the ‘80s were a central inspiration for the collection. Blazy focused the style in that decade with ‘80s office shoulders and structured tailoring but also disco, metallic elements. A “new type of power dressing” was introduced, where conventional adult sophistication was undone, and people were playing dress-up: see the animal motifs, disproportionate vibes and creased fabrics. The collection started off with models carrying around plastic bags and flowers, like they’re grown-ups grabbing things from the shop on their way back from the office. There was an elevated take on staples: Elliot’s flannel and jeans fit from E.T. but made from leather (classic Blazy move). And a lot of different textures: crinkled silks, new designs of the intrecciato weave on bags, embellished leather and about a dozen spikey leather wigs, looking like pins coming out of the head. The last look was a disco strike: a metallic silver slip dress with the spiked headwear.
The collection was fun, structured, and didn’t take itself too seriously. It was the perfect, refined medium between childhood and adulthood. Blazy said: let your inner child come out and play. We’re already excited to see what A$AP pulls from this collection.
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