FASHION
How Daniel Lee Is Transforming the House of Bottega Veneta
Photograph by Andreas Laszlo Konrath; Styled by Melissa Levy.
Hair by Edward Lampley for GHD at Bryant Artists; Makeup by Caoilfhionn Gifford; Manicures by Eri Handa for Chanel Le Vernis at MAM-NYC; Models: Cassi Priestley at Next, Dylan Christensen at APM; Casting by Edward Kim at The Talent Group; Fashion Assistant: Raquel Castellanos; Production Assistant: Christina Montes.
Before the 33-year-old British designer Daniel Lee became the creative director of Bottega Veneta last year, replacing Tomas Maier, he was at Celine, working under Phoebe Philo as the director of ready-to-wear. No wonder, then, that Lee’s debut pre-fall collection was streamlined and sensual, with strokes of elevated weirdness. In his hands, the house’s quiet craftsmanship got a one-two punch: Leather pieces assumed a utilitarian toughness; intrecciato woven bags took outsize proportions; and many of the men’s and women’s coats, trousers, and shorts were virtually indistinguishable from each other. It was a gender-fluid spirit that, for a “sleeping giant” of a brand, as Lee described it, felt young, fresh, and entirely of the moment.
