After his globetrotting escapades last season, Matthieu Blazy of Bottega Veneta found himself backstage, contemplating the everyday. He mused, ‘In the world we inhabit, what meaningful impact can our creations have?’ His initial concept was to distill the collection down to its essence—almost like distilling a fine spirit, not to the bare minimum, but to a powerful maximum. Blazy aimed to elevate the mundane into a monument.

Despite their practical origins, these garments transcended the ordinary. Take the opening look: a couture-inspired black cocoon coat. Its three-dimensional silhouette, sculpted by clever folds and secured with substantial brass buttons, defied convention. Unfasten those buttons, and the coat transforms into a more streamlined form. Similarly, rounded jeweled buttons adorned elegant color-blocked dresses, creating asymmetrical drapes that seemed to defy gravity. One can envision Blazy and his team meticulously pinning muslin on mannequins or models in the studio, celebrating the serendipitous, unscripted results.

The collection stripped away excess, leaving behind the intricate embroideries and embellishments of seasons past. Blazy’s decision to embrace authenticity resonated: ‘I thought it was better to go real,’ he asserted. Yet, impressive craftsmanship abounded. Notice the dual fringes—short and spiky, alongside long and fluid—accentuating the hem of a striking red column dress (rumored to be Oscars-bound). Or the shredded fil coupé dévoré of a golden yellow gown, its texture reminiscent of sandpaper’s delicate abrasion.

Matthieu Blazy emphasized the integration of technique directly into the fabric itself. A striking example of this approach was the creation of ‘memory’ prints—layers upon layers of passport stamps—featured in a trio of ethereal ensembles with cascading tiers on their skirts. Additionally, the show unveiled subtler ‘future’ prints, adorning layerable cotton shirts and robust trenches, inspired by loose-leaf and graph paper.