Coming off a Spring collection in cool shades of chalk, charcoal, and black, Tomas Maier's pre-fall outing for Bottega Veneta positively popped with color. There were bold, color-blocked coats and solid silk shifts in vivid primary hues. Even the more fitted sleeveless sheaths in Prince of Wales check were handpainted with subtle washes of color. Cut and construction remain the designer's obsessions. A simple coat, for example, was patchworked together from at least three different fabrics; it almost looked like it had been turned inside out, as if Maier wanted the world to see its meticulous inner workings. If that sounds like a tough sell with some Bottega customers, the latest innovations to the intrecciato bags won't be: Now they're woven with extra fringes of leather. The patent d'Orsay ballet flats Maier showed with everything—short and long, day and night—are no technological feat, but they're worth a mention, as they make a pretty persuasive argument to ditch heels for good.
