Meanwhile, Bottega Veneta has hit refresh with the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, following the departure of Daniel Lee in 2021.

The new creative director sent a clear message of renewal with the first look in his debut collection on Saturday night, February 26: a white tank and what appeared to be jeans, but which were deceptively made out of soft nubuck. Call it a palate cleanser.

A model wears green in a furry coat and suit ensemble at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan on February 26. Photo: AFP

And with that simple gesture, Blazy drew a straight line to the roots of the Veneto-born brand as a leather goods company, and its understated sophistication that was sometimes eclipsed by his predecessor’s eye-catching padded “intrecciato” (woven) leather mules and bags.

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The debut of French designer Matthieu Blazy’s collection at Bottega Veneta included bold and creative twists at the Bottega Veneta Women catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: AFP

The French designer brought creative new twists to the label: the bag of the season is the brand’s classic woven intreccio slung over the shoulder, not worn but gripped by a long strap without the conventional loop.

A model wears bold yellow with a patterned skirt at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
Suits are updated with a fluffy appearance in this outfit at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
Layers and textures define movement in the curations of Matthieu Blazy at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: EPA-EFE

The garments themselves were defined by movement, which Blazy said in notes relates to the brand’s heritage bags as objects that suggest travel, at very least getting out of the house.

A model wears a white, layered dress at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: AFP

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The designs are bold and full of movement at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: AFP

They included midi-length A-line skirts with a bustle of shredded leather, for a feathery rustle with every step of the sculpted platform heel. Wispy sequinned cocktail dresses with feather detailing were paired with knee-high boots in glossy beetle green, off-white or silver. Rounded sculpted shoulder straps gave life to sheath dresses, accented by a woven clutch elegantly studded in golden points.

A model dons a suit in pale yellow at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: EPA-EFE
The collection features bright and colourful pieces with a fun, textured update at the Bottega Veneta women’s catwalk show autumn/winter 2022-2023 on the fifth day of the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, on February 26. Photo: AFP
Julianne Moore and Raf Simons, the Prada designer who was Blazy’s boss for a spell at Calvin Klein, had front row seats in the brand’s new headquarters behind Milan’s City Hall. The space was still a work in progress, with raw concrete block walls and the dome’s reinforcements still showing.