Bottega Veneta Does Sophisticated Milanese Style With a Playful Twist

“What would the kid in you want?” Creative Director Matthieu Blazy questioned in the show notes for the Bottega Veneta spring/summer 2025 collection. On the runway, he offered an answer with inspiration drawing from coming-of-age stories, the power of playfulness, and a sense of kids playing dress-up as adults. He also put it into words. “The power of wow!” as he describes it. Imagination! Creativity! The joy of discovery! Blazy wanted to feel this pull in fashion once again, and brought that to the stage for Bottega Veneta’s latest collection.

From the moment guests walked into the show venue, this was on full display as showgoers were greeted by rows of animal bean bag chairs throughout the venue that imparted a sense of youthful joy. The idea of childlike fascination led Blazy to add playful elements to the collection, including animal motifs like fish stoles and lapin lapels, fringed headpieces, and supermarket bags. But he also showcased a very grown-up wardrobe with soft, relaxed silhouettes and powerful suiting—clothes people want in their closets immediately—that made it a standout collection at Milan Fashion Week. Ahead, more on the spring/summer 2025 Bottega Veneta show, from the celebrity-packed front row to new bag launches to the sophisticated power dressing that is set to shape style in 2025.

The Playful Venue and Celebrity-Packed Front Row

Rather than rows of benches or four-legged chairs which are standard at most runway shows, guests walked into a room filled with pillowy bean bags. Each, taking the form of an animal—a panda, fox, elephant, dinosaur, cat, and more—which were inspired by the iconic Sacco chair created in 1968. Some seat assignments were seemingly arbitrary, while others spoke to some element of the person whose name card sat on the chair. Kendall Jenner, a passionate equestrian, on a horse. Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear, on a bear. Jacob Elordi, a new face of the brand pictured in a recent campaign holding his hands above his head like rabbit ears, on a bunny. The lounge chairs were commissioned by Matthieu Blazy and immediately added a tone of childlike levity to the room before the show even began, as well as a literal new perspective. “They sit low to the ground, so you have a different perspective when you sit on them—they are both joyful and comfortable!” Blazy shared in the show notes. “I hope this sense of wonder continues every time people come across them.”

A Grown-Up Wardrobe