Design

Into this: Bottega Veneta banal luxury



Bottega Veneta SS23 ad campaign

The new Bottega Veneta SS23 campaign just landed and I love it.

There’s a soothing video by Massimiliano Bomba shot in a slow-mo Milan streetscape serving everyday city life in the most fabulously chic way. (It’s a little bit Lemaire and a little bit Thomas Maier!)

The stills are also beautiful – elegant yet casual, styled by Alastair McKimm with the leather ‘denim’ jeans and white ultra-luxe vests centre stage, accessorised with slouchy Andiamo totes*. The no-make-up-make-up and minimally styled hair give the campaign a timeless quality and I’m glad that they resisted the urge to include obvious props like a Starbucks coffee or phone. (Wait, do Italians even drink Starbs?) In this case, less it more. Superbo! (more…)



Tiffany x Nike? WTF



Tiffany X Nike collab

Tiffany is at it again, teasing us with a new, polarising campaign.

Seeding an upcoming collab with Nike (Nike?!) with a pair of Tiffany colourway AF1s, it seems this is what you get from a 30-year-old executive VP of product and communications marketing to a new-gen customer.

Online chatter in my circles so far suggests it’s a bit of an obvious move for Tiffany and a disappointing one for Nike. (more…)



More on floopy Birkins and not-so-pristine status bags



Floopy Birkin Mary Kate Olsen

‘Floopy’ Birkins are in the news again.

Last year I noticed the move towards not-so-pristine heritage handbags, the kind that look like they’ve been inherited from a wealthy aunt rather than bought box fresh from Luxury Promise. Vogue Business (pay wall) has dug deeper into the phenomenon with new stats from The RealReal that show people are buying visibly lived-in Hermès Birkins and Chanel Double Flaps at a lower price than the ‘mint’ standard usually expected on vintage sites. In the past, luxury resale sites wouldn’t really entertain shabbily treated luxury bags, so it’s very revealing to note the shift. (more…)



Bode just unveiled its vison for womenswear



Bode AW23 womenswear - Ssense

There was a big post-show buzz around the Bode AW23 show during men’s Fashion Week in Paris. For the first time. Emily revealed her ambition for womenswear; not a ‘feminised’ take on her menswear as one might expect but a fully realised vision that riffed off early 20th century glamour, incorporating familial storytelling (of course) and handcrafted embellishment.

It got rave reviews, although I felt the styling of the menswear was more eclectic. My highlights: an equestrian-themed applique jacket, hand-knit embroidered sweaters and gloves, a perfect shawl-collared tuxedo and the men’s T-bars and Mary Janes. (more…)