Exclusive: One of Luxury Fashion’s Few Female Designers Speaks Out
Milan — When style feels like skin, not armor, you can sense it across a room. That’s the magic of dressing for the female gaze: intimacy over spectacle, substance over noise. At Bottega Veneta, that idea quietly took center stage, carried by the steady hand of British designer Louise Trotter. The result was an elegant study in restraint, beauty, and the kind of confidence that doesn’t beg for attention.
A Milan moment shaped by the female gaze
Luxury loves to talk about women; it still rarely lets them lead. That’s what makes the pairing of Bottega Veneta and Louise Trotter so compelling right now.
Her debut collection arrived at Milan Fashion Week with a purposeful calm. No theatrics, just gummy-colored Murano glass stools and a guest list that included Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Michelle Yeoh, “Adolescence” star Owen Cooper, and RM of BTS — all there with nothing to distract them from the clothes.
Louise Trotter’s appointment at Bottega Veneta comes at a pertinent time when female designers at big luxury companies are lacking. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
On Saturday, Trotter presented her first runway show for the Italian luxury label, which some saw as style through the female gaze. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
Vicky Krieps and Julianne Moore sat on the front row at the Bottega Veneta show. Credit: Swan Gallet/WWD/Getty Images
Other high-profile guests attending the Bottega Veneta show included Uma Thurman… Credit: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images for ABA
… and the British artist Steve McQueen, who created the music soundtrack for the show. Credit: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images for ABA
Heritage, handwork, and quiet confidence
Since arriving in January, Trotter has re-centered the house on its origins as a “Venetian artisanal shop.” Nearly six decades after Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro founded the brand in Vicenza, Italian craftsmanship is still the heartbeat — and you can feel it in the hand.
That ethos defined the new campaign too, spotlighting the hands of artisans alongside cultural voices like Tyler, the Creator, Jack Antonoff, and Zadie Smith. It’s the same spirit that carried onto the runway through sublime shoes and logo-free bags in the signature intrecciato weave.
Backstage, Trotter called it “soft functionality” — a way of moving through the world with ease. And the idea of wearing a bag without a logo? “You have to be confident,” she said. It’s the quietest flex.
Craft was the focus of Trotter’s messaging, and it appeared in the form of tactile skirts, which swished as models walked. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
There was also statement-making outerwear in the form of leather, jacquard and reptile-print coats. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
What stood out on the runway
Textures led the conversation. Think supple leather and sculpted jacquards, tailored trousers you’ll live in, and sleek outerwear that reads as investment-level from ten paces.
Then came the playful charge: high-shine tops in saturated tones — flaming vermilion, vivid yellow — and tinsel-fringe skirts that whispered with every step. The score by British artist Steve McQueen amplified the glide.
A little black-and-white dress proved Trotter’s precision. Two versions, each with a strap designed to slip off the shoulder — intentional, elegant, a breath of asymmetry. Her silhouettes don’t cling or float; they skim, like modern sculpture. The effect is flattering, fluid, and free.
A refined wardrobe for women — and men
Bottega’s polish isn’t gendered; it’s intelligent. Men’s looks were equally considered, reflecting a fanbase that keeps growing.
Plenty of elegant styles abound for men, too, who make up a growing part of Trotter’s fanbase. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
Among the highly photographed looks by guests were the attention-grabbing shimmery tops in vivid colors. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images
Actors and style leaders are already on board; Jacob Elordi has been wearing the house in recent months, proving the appeal travels effortlessly off-runway.
Business resilience in a cooling luxury market
While many global luxury brands have softened, Bottega Veneta — part of the same group as Gucci, Saint Laurent, and McQueen — has held its line, with sales up 1% in the first half of 2025. In an environment of higher stakes and even higher tickets, desire is the most valuable currency.
While many luxury brands have been impacted by the global downturn, Bottega Veneta has been more resilient than most. Credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
Trotter’s influence is already clear: stylish women — and increasingly, men — want to wear her vision, wherever she takes it. That magnetism usually bodes well for the bottom line.
A lineage of female vision
Trotter also looked back to Laura Braggion, the house’s first female creative lead and a member of Andy Warhol’s Factory. She imagined Braggion’s path from Italy to New York — the freedom, the reinvention, the liberation.
That’s the spirit running through this collection: a woman’s world made on her own terms, edited to perfection.
The Malibu Elixir takeaway: wear the gaze, don’t chase it
- Choose logo-less luxury that lets craft do the talking.
- Opt for sculpted ease — silhouettes that skim, not squeeze.
- Elevate neutrals with tactile textures: leather, jacquard, woven details.
- Add one high-impact shine — a vivid top or gleaming skirt — to break the quiet.
- Invest in heritage pieces with staying power: intrecciato bags, refined outerwear, sculptural heels.
If this collection speaks to you, it’s because it honors beauty that’s felt, not announced. Edit your wardrobe with that same intention — thoughtful, sensual, quietly powerful — and meet me at Malibu Elixir to savor what’s next. How will you wear your confidence today?
