MILAN–The first thing you noticed about Tomas Maier’s fall Bottega Veneta collection wasn’t the Tippi Hedren-style French twists, or the the light, bright overcoats. Instead, it was the tufts of leather sticking out from the label’s classic basket weave handbags. These roughed-up styles illustrated what Maier believes to be the crux of this collection. “We wanted to push the boundaries, to experiment with technique and craftsmanship to an extreme degree,” he said in the show notes. “The result is very particular, with a mix of control and passion that I think reflects the mood of the moment.”

As the looks traveled down the runway, Maier’s interest in texture became more and more complicated. When Anja Rubik walked out in a peridot green lace silk printed fringe skirt, attached to a marbly-brown top and matching cardigan, I couldn’t help but thinking, “How did he come up with that?”

In the end, Maier took the idea of a duchesse silk ball gown and gave it a slightly punk treatment with hand-painted shadows on taupe, gold, copper, and yellow dresses. What a thoughtful, beautiful collection.

**Photos by Imaxtree.