The intellectual femininity of Bottega Veneta for FW26 Louise Trotter returns to blend exuberance and minimalism
The task of Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta is to distance the Maison from the imagery of the former creative director, Matthieu Blazy, without turning its back on the commercial and artistic progress that the designer brought to the brand of Intrecciato. No small challenge, considering the impact Blazy had on the Maison from 2021 to 2024. This weekend, on a glossy fire-red backdrop, Trotter presented a runway collection rich in craftsmanship, textile experimentation, and poetry, a dedication to Milan and its ambiguities.
Old and new, traditional and conceptual, exuberant and restrained leaned on one another to create intellectual yet extremely sensual looks. Grandma’s evening pouch is paired with modern outfits, dad’s worn shoes are reinterpreted through the now timeless texture of Intrecciato, and while from afar the coats appear to be made of fur or wool, touch reveals outerwear crafted from leather and even sequins.
After seeing the show, it was curious to discover that the personalities who inspired it were Maria Callas, reflected in the courteous sumptuousness of certain looks and in references to the traditional wardrobe of Milan’s theater audiences, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. The writer’s style could indeed be found in the menswear palette, featuring natural tones with flashes of bright yellow, and in the close-fitting knitwear, tucked into tailored trousers tightened at the waistline with long belts.
Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta is sharper and more grounded in reality than Blazy’s collections. Even the most alternative designs, such as the striped white and yellow fur-leather dresses, retain a certain functionality that did not go unnoticed by the buyers attending the show. Evening suits for men are mismatched, paired with tank tops and shirts with collars peeking out halfway - details that infuse even the most traditional garments with a strong sense of youthfulness.
While an Intrecciato leather trench coat decorated with a plaid motif steals the spotlight, shoes and accessories assert themselves less strongly than in previous collections, despite stud-covered ballet flats, furry heels, slim loafers, and pointed Oxfords deserving our attention. Among oversized coats, leather jackets that manage to highlight the waist despite their oversized fit, styling that blends high and low, and a refined material and color selection, Bottega Veneta’s FW26 recalls the designs of Phoebe Philo. The same intellectualism, the same exuberance, the same control of opulence, and the same attention to the female body - even in winter, when it needs to be covered. And we, fans of runway virtuosity, unconventional elegance, and Klein Blue, had been waiting for someone to pick up where the English designer left us.
