Bottega Veneta Introduces Us To Emotional Support Outfits

3 min read

Lots of fashion shows have a red carpet for celebrities. At its fall/winter 2026 show in Milan tonight, Bottega Veneta had a red carpet for everyone. Ultra-plush and extra bright, the fuzzy wall-to-wall floor covered the runway, the audience seating areas, and even the emergency exit ramps. Stepping on it felt like smothering a scream or burrowing into bed after a long day—everything went quiet and soft.

That’s not to say that designer Louise Trotter went low-key for her sophomore collection. (She joined the brand last year after well-received gigs at Lacoste, Joseph, and before that, Gap.) After a spring/summer 2026 collection of flippy (but not flippant!) off-the-shoulder dresses and great big plastic fringe skirts, Trotter went hard on can’t-miss-’em shapes like round-shouldered topcoats and slouchy tank dresses with large, functional pockets at the sides. (Thanks, Louise!) There were Bottega’s famous woven intrecciato leather bags, too, now cinched with a metal clasp like a glamorous granny purse or inflated into a giant flap tote the size of an art school portfolio.

But most notable were the textures—a spectrum of softness with fuzzy wool, curly shearling, and brushed, braided silk, all of which can act like reassurance when you put them against your body. Yes, the world is loud and hard, but if you’re (very) lucky and (very) stylish, there’s the option to hide away inside a giant peach jacket made of shiny, silky fringe that looks like static electricity whenever the wearer moves around. Even the “normal” stuff—the gray wool trench coats, the shearling toppers, the roomy cream midi-skirts—came with rounder shoulders, softer hems, and curvier seams at the sides. Trotter’s Bottega Veneta is literally taking the edge off a typical leather coat or wool blazer. This is both a statement and a service to anyone who wants to go hard on style, but move a little bit easier down the street.

Also: Almost all the footwear was flat, from the white soft-leather jazz shoes to the tasseled loafers in black and red. A pair of Mary Jane slippers came covered in silver spikes, just in case you need to kick something besides your TikTok habit. Nearly all the models wore fuzzy beanies, as if they couldn’t even bother with dry shampoo.

One last thing: Bottega means “store” in Italian, and maybe we’re not talking about that enough. Yes, there was some conceptual stuff here, especially in Trotter’s finale looks, which recreated Mongolian wool jackets and snow-leopard fur hats in playful synthetic shag fabric. But there’s retail gold in the crescent-shaped handbags and silver collar necklaces (think Oasis’s ball-chain necklace, but warped and bubbling from heat). The shoes are distinct but easy to wear. The white army tank tops—recast in slouchy, soft wool instead of gym-class cotton—are a flex, especially if you’ve got toned arms to flex.

That means this Bottega Veneta collection felt a little like wearable therapy, but it was also a clear example of retail therapy. Hopefully, your analyst will approve on the grounds of feminist principles. Trotter is one of the only female creative directors at a major luxury brand right now. And anyway, all the dresses had pockets. That’s a pretty good step towards emotional healing, at least where fashion’s concerned.

Faran Krentcil is a fashion journalist and critic based in New York City. She is the founding editor of Fashionista and a graduate of Duke University. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.