Milan Fashion Week: Bottega Veneta's lovely, loopy ladies

Tomas Maier showed a crack collection for Bottega Veneta. So many of this season's runway shows seem to be about off-the-wall, eccentric lady style. But his take on it was perfect in every way.

There was a retro 1960s, Mad Women thing going on, with messy beehive hairdos and a loungey soundtrack.   

But the incredible workmanship that went into creating the unusual surface textures on these clothes made them completely fresh. A soft-shouldered pink-and-orange mohair coat had a nubby, lived-in look. (So that old pill-y coat gathering dust in your closet really can be worn again!)

There were also tons of terrific, ladylike suits with boxy jackets. One version, in cream, had a pleated skirt with a sooty hem that brought to mind tarnished silver.

Dresses and cardigans in scribbly prints were obscured with fabric and shredded lace overlays, evoking a disintegrating glamour. They were the kind of pieces you wanted to look at again and again.

Bags and shoes were also richly textured -- fraying patchwork itrecciato leather clutches, and velvet satchels that had been acid-washed. Then there was the jewelry. Bottega Veneta has been on a roll with jewelry. For fall, the standout was a little piece of Surrealism for your lapel: a "painted eye" brooch.

-- Booth Moore in Milan

Photos: Looks from the Bottega Veneta fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during Milan Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times

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