Louise Trotter’s arrival at Bottega Veneta was always going to be a defining moment of this year, let alone Milan Fashion Week. Announced earlier this year as Matthieu Blazy’s successor, her debut collection coincides with the house’s 60th anniversary—a neat symmetry for a brand in the midst of significant change.

Trotter began, fittingly, at the beginning, revisiting the core of the house’s esteemed leather work: Intrecciato. But rather than treating it as an archive motif to play with, she wove it into the collection as both metaphor and method. Bags, which became a commercial phenomenon during Daniel Lee and Blazy’s eras, were reconfigured and pared back, featuring bolder structures that reflected the hand and heart of the brand’s Venetian workshops.

On the runway, tailoring set a definitely modern tone. Lightweight jackets, slouchy trousers, Nappa trenches, and cotton-lined gowns flattered without discomfort. Designed for both the eye and for movement. Throw in the playful contrast of Italian menswear rigour and the glitzy flutter of feathered fibreglass, and it all just sings, much like the woven leather that has defined its heritage. Flamboyance and ‘loud luxury’ might have been expected from other houses this season, but at Bottega, the gesture was quieter, with unmistakable luxury craftsmanship found in the details.

Accessories carried the House’s narrative forward with new propositions, from the elongated Framed Tote to the squashy Crafty Basket.  felt not so much constructed as being shaped by hand.

The atmosphere was heightened by Steve McQueen’s custom soundtrack, ’66–’76, that spliced the works of Nina Simone and David Bowie into an aural Intrecciato—an elegant metaphor for Trotter’s vision of collaboration and continuity. During a time when men often lead design teams for womenswear, Trotter’s female gaze is sorely needed.

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