Bottega Veneta Men's Spring-Summer 2012

24 Jun '11

2 min read

For Spring Summer 2012, Bottega Veneta presents a men's collection that contrasts surface and silhouette. Surface is treated extravagantly, enhanced and amplified with prints layered over prints, geometric patterns fused together, and materials mixed, patched, or cut apart and reformed. There are overprinted seersuckers and shirt checks, stripes atop stripes, linen- cotton twill printed to look like Irish tweed, elaborately patterned knits, and bleached, printed Japanese denim. In the end, the particulars of pattern and print become imprecise, rendering the surface of each garment graphically rich and wholly unfamiliar.

Juxtaposed to this opulent take on surface is a silhouette that is narrow, neat, and close to the body. The clothes, mostly suits, are precise and streamlined, with tapered pants, narrow shoulders, fitted sleeves, and a band or mandarin collar. Top and bottom are monochromatic. Jackets and the occasional shirt are worn buttoned all the way up to the neck, leaving little skin exposed. The effect is of a suit distilled to a single piece.

The palette for summer is quiet and warm, comprised of dark shades including espresso, chocolate, blue tourmaline, and indigo. These are offset by light, muted colors such as pewter, Sahara, sailcloth, and beige. Materials are lightweight and straightforward, ranging from cotton twill and linen- and-cotton twill to piqué, seersucker, denim, leather, and jersey. Shoes, reflecting the covered-up aspect of the clothes, are closed, unadorned, and understated. Two styles predominate: a refined but relaxed lace-up and a nonchalant backless slide. Multi-functional bags, many vertical in orientation, are precisely shaped but unconstructed so that they slouch and collapse comfortably against the body. Made of soft, faded leathers with a vintage feel, the bags feature elaborately hand-worked surfaces.

“I've always liked the idea of a coverall or a jumpsuit, of a single piece of clothing that works for a man the way a dress does for a woman,” explains Creative Director Tomas Maier. “But a tailored jumpsuit is impractical. So we started with the idea of an all-in-one and related it to the suit. The look is very sharp and covered up, with almost no skin revealed. This contrasts with the unusual surfaces of the materials. It's a different kind of suit, derived from thinking about dressing in a different way.”

Bottega Veneta

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