138 ELLECANADA.COM
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SHIFT CHANGE
THE PAST YEAR in fashion will be remembered for its audacious debuts and
bittersweet departures, all of which echo the political and social tensions that
permeate every facet of life these days. At Bottega Veneta, creative director Daniel
Lee invoked this nervousness with his anticipated inaugural runway presentation
at Milan Fashion Week. In the past, the Italian brand held shows in clever, rar-
efied locations while a bevy of cool-girl models lent the occasion a buzzy, louche
appeal. Lee, of old Celine, went for the opposite, selecting an open-air venue on
the streets of Milan. Models stormed out in all-over leather, as if headed straight
for the Death Star, or in chunky renderings of the brand’s intrecciato weave on
coats and skirts. This “new Bottega,” as it’s been dubbed on social, was daring
and out there for all the world to see. Change—it’s good sometimes.