Bottega Venetta’s Spring 2024 Show Takes Classic Workwear Off The Grid

It seems somewhat fitting that as we settle into the third week of fashion month that Bottega Veneta would present a meditation of sorts concerning those constantly on the job. This is a time of 14-hour days, stressing over getting dressed, and constant deadlines for so many in the industry, a moment when we’re all starting to feel a little undone... or at least in dire need of a getaway. The models on the Italian brand’s Spring/Summer 2024 catwalk evoked a similar state of mind: Striding out in various states of undress, their workwear reshuffled with seaside-inspired details, they looked like very chic 9-to-5-ers who suddenly found themselves shipwrecked.

A luxe LBD with one shoulder pushed off to the side; a bejeweled top and slide-on heels with no pants plus an oversized beach bag; elegantly draped dresses crafted from rope-y netting and straw-like pom-poms — the key pieces seemed to speak to the busy urban dweller finding their way to an island environment, by choice or not. (The venue, which was painted as a map covered with animal life, and the constant newspaper references — including as the material on a standout hobo bag — also suggested some sense of climate displacement dread.) Meanwhile, there were plenty of city-slick staples, like peplum leather dresses and slouchy knits, cleverly given an eclectic vibe by way of a fringe-y texture, pastel plaids, and swirling patterns. Underscoring the show was an air of global wandering, be it by way of leisurely oceanic walks (see: the teeny black singlets) or jetset travel (all the elegant, Katharine Hepburn-deserving trenches).

But if the clothes set a tone of far-flung travel, the accompanying bags drove the point home. Some of the looks were paired with what can best be described as the most elevated laundry carryall to ever exist — structured, leather, and nonchalantly thrown over the shoulder — with various cubicle dweller staples sticking out the top, like a button-down and aforementioned print rags. Then there were the label’s signature Intrecciato offerings: available in nearly every color (except for, notably, the bright Kelly green creative director Matthieu Blazy’s predecessor was so well known for), more than a few of the pieces were updated with a rustic spear-like top handle… just the thing, perhaps, for catching fish should you find yourself washed up on a faraway shore?

Other standout purses included rope-like woven baskets, giant pillow-esque hard clutches, and silly little swishy numbers that won’t serve many purposes beyond looking cute at a boozy summer party. This, however, well illustrates the true brilliance of this seemingly high-concept collection. Pulled together and presented at once, it tells a very compelling story that pulls your imagination one way and another. But break the outfits down and you find that, at their core, they’re really just a bunch of incredibly cool pieces you can confidently rework time and again. And I’d take that over an exotic trip to paradise any day.

Keep scrolling ahead for a sampling of TZR’s favorite looks.