I am late to the party on this, but I finally saw the Bottega W 23 show. Often designers end their fashion show with a final look intentionally chosen to be the show stopper. I mean because it literally is the signal that the show is over. It is a work of art.
At the end of the Bottega show, before I knew it was the end, I saw a model walking in what looked like just a simple white tank and jeans, with a pink jacket tied around her hips. And then the camera stayed on her. She kept walking and other models, until the entire grouped walked out for the finale. I was confused. After all of those beautiful dresses that I could see myself in, dropped myself into with no parties to go to but definitely making the occasions for. That? You end the show with blue jeans? I was confused, but I also believed it had to be intentional.
From what I have read so far, it was an act of tromp l’oeil. What you saw was not what you got. Apparently, it was not a simple white tank, but a beautifully crafted leather one that still had the ease of movement. Jeans were not denim, but leather made to look like jeans. It was the final piece, I assumed, in honor the amount of work it took to design and fashion such a piece. But as the designer says, it was to close a chapter, the ending of a series on Italian life, and a conversation in this show answering, “What is chic?”
Is a simple tank chic? What if it is expertly crafted? Are pajamas chic? When do you allow yourself to feel stylish? Is it only when you go out, something for other people? Or is it something you live at all hours, a mindset that you carry with you?
I was really just trying to write about the oddity of a tank top and jeans look, and now I have to get philosophical. But, it is an important question to ask myself as I continue to rethink my relationship to fashion.
Articles that I consulted:
Socha, M. (February 26, 2023). Bottega Veneta RTW Fall 2023. WWD. https://wwd.com/runway/fall-2023/milan/bottega-veneta/review/
Tashjian, R. (February 27, 2023). Liberating the Lady at Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta. Harper’s Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/a43082875/ferragamo-bottega-veneta-gucci-fw23-review/
If you want to read more content like this, here are some more you might like:
And here are my most recent posts:
A Wren Says 