Bottega Veneta Resort 2021

“In the darkest moments creativity is so key.”

Daniel Lee is finding place for an influx of loungewear next to the intrecciato archives of seasons past. Bottega’s Resort 2021 was ushered in over virtual preview on Monday, picking up a story of Lee’s roiled genius – one unbarred by lockdown orders and social distancing codes. “In the darkest moments creativity is so key,” Lee said. “It’s about making clothes you can’t find in other stores. Otherwise what’s the point?”

While the brevity of the collection didn’t quite keep pace with the 20 looks of Burberry’s S/S 2021 stamp, Lee’s 65 slides go without fault and will be sure to meet the praise of fashion pundits and online arbiters alike. American model Selena Forrest opens the goings in a knit reprint of 90’s-inflected tailoring, making the halting bend from pre- to post-Covid one with a decided uniform, a three-piece look ladled in the nostalgic warmth only found in mauve.

From there the runway walks in more of the same: structural iterations of what we’ve seen, hinging off soft-hues, matching sets and comfort, all remaining very much in the Bottega fold. Lee staged an undeniably cohesive conference from looks 1-65 with both men’s and womenswear almost indistinguishable, if it not for the model wearing the clothes as their own. The house’s enduring “V” motif comes to endow the back of structural jackets, tailored to play on the silhouette of its mold, while the intrecciato weave is reworked onto truncated skirts, pairing a leggy dishabille with the contrasting roominess of a knit sweater, albeit slashed at the breast bone. Lee has kept to portrait neck-lines benefitting slender dresses, and floor-grazing teddy-esque outerwear, sans the fringe of Milan Fall 2020. Muted lug soled lace-ups marry well with the stretch pump trading on ankle ties rather than a chain detail, all together catering to the palettes of fashion’s most discerning.

It’s as if Lee knew how we’d want to reemerge from this period: holding fast to comfort, but eager for the ineffability of what we had before – whether that be the luxuries of carelessness and unwavering choice, or perhaps the silence afforded by an assured sense of safety. Almond Pumps, and Pouch Bags aside, Bottega’s Resort 2021 tapped the zeitgeist even without a runway, and we found respite in its many workings of mauvey confections.

Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Vogue
Discover More