Five Lessons To Learn From Bottega Veneta’s Excellent Pre-Spring 2020 Campaign

A little over a year into his tenure, we hardly need tell you that Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta is a molto big deal. The brand climbed up 21 places on Lyst’s Hot Brands Index to enter the top 10 for the first time this quarter; the padded sandals are officially the hottest shoes in the world, generating 27,000 searches per month. Daniel has scooped up four nods ahead of next month’s Fashion Awards, and no wonder – fans are feverish in their enthusiasm, snapping up the bulbous pumps, poufy clutch bags and chain-link skirts and then feverishly Instagramming them – thus propelling the hype around #NewBottega. The takeaway: what Daniel designs, we’ll lap up.

It’s unsurprising, therefore, that the new Pre-Spring 2020 campaign (which – according to the press notes – ‘subverts the iconography of modern luxury’) has generated much attention (read: Instagramming) from Daniel devotees. What’s remarkable is that in today’s raise-the-stakes social media era, there’s no extravagant set or cutesy gimmick or ironic celebrity cameos required to make the campaign go viral, just Jean Campbell (sister of Edie), designer Andre Walker, and a giant chain shot by Tyrone Lebon in a carpeted room. Oh, and great clothes.

The new campaign encapsulates the language Daniel has developed at Bottega: a precise mix of unsettling oddness and quotidian realism, of bourgeois finesse and punkish rebellion. ‘Bottega Veneta clothes are worn in context, mixed with real characters and live in the moment. They are elevated and everyday and that’s what makes them powerful,’ says Daniel. We say: take note – consider this the gospel according to Daniel, and your crib sheet for next season.

Chunky gold chains are going nowhere

Invested in one of those clunky gold chains that have been doing the rounds the past few months? You’re in luck. Keep it on rotate – and add squared hoops for good measure. Your jewellery directive is to think heavy duty rather than delicate.

Get all tied up

It’s not (just) what you wear, it’s how you wear it. Ankle straps tied up over trousers is a simple but effective styling that we first got eyes on when the Pre-Spring collection debuted. The streetstyle set have already begun doing it, so get involved now. Bonus: you don’t need a Bottega budget to pull off this move.

A little black dress is always a good idea

Testament to the house’s heritage as a master of stealth luxury, Bottega’s heat is generated from Daniel’s subtle, but striking, disruption of classics rather than gimmicky showpieces. Case in point: you don’t need a logo-emblazoned sweatshirt or an extravagant gown to make an impact now, you just need a twisted LBD – the ultimate investment piece. White padded mules also help though.

Federico Fellini is the name to drop now

You’ve got the biker boots, you’re saving for the Cassette Bag, but if you really want to be a Bottega woman, it’s about more than just clothes, it’s about being culturally astute. Impress your friends now by chatting about Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, renowned for La Dolce Vita, 8 ½ and La Strada. His quote ‘neorealism is not about what you show, but how you show it. It’s simply a way of looking at the world without preconceptions or prejudices,’ is one of the inspirations behind this campaign.

A low bun is your zero-effort high-impact hairdo

Bad hair days be gone. Sweep back your hair into a low bun a la Jean for an elegant ’do that required zero faff and fuss.

SEE: The Best Fashion Campaigns Of The Moment