Tomas Maier proved himself undisputedly as one of the most mature designers on the block in Milan this season with his AW16 collection for Bottega Veneta. Producing clothing of a discerning confidence, what more could one really ask for from something you’ll be attaching to your body, Maier put an alluring emphasis on tailoring from the start, with double-breasted looks in strong shapes, manifested in sophisticated colour-ways and smart, striking check prints.
Clothes that were close to the body, cutting the most complimentary forms, were played off against larger silhouettes above, making the process of assembling layers of clothes upon one’s body a treat courtesy of Maier’s studious sartorial ways at Bottega. Subtle but specific selections of costume jewellery was also called upon later in the collection to really establish AW16 as a collection of clothing designed for a discerning woman of some sway and all-encompassing experience.
Once the collection reached its final 20 or so looks, dainty daywear dresses which with the right accessories could be worked easily and elegantly from the day into the night, took over.
The tailoring still there, in its final and most potent incarnation in the powerful shape of a classic le smoking tuxedo suit, Maier was simply out to demonstrate the way he values a woman’s dynamic with her own femininity. As a designer, there is simply no way to flaw him in this respect.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Bottega Veneta