For Every Woman

NEW YORK, United States —  A veteran like Tomas Maier — who is German but lives in Florida and whose label is based in New York — doesn't just promise, he delivers. With his namesake collection, the Bottega Veneta creative director aims to fill wardrobe holes without designing basics. This season's selection was unfussy, if not minimalist. For instance, a rollneck cableknit sweater had voluminous sleeves in techy scuba jersey. That spongy material also gave shape to a simple shift. Last season's bomber was updated in a quilted shattered-candy print, while a traditional pleated skirt was rendered in lacquered denim. Maier treated glitzy fabrics — plush velvet, silk embellished with bursts of stars — with a certain casualness: even the mini dresses and high-waist peg-leg trousers were worn with flats or low heels.

What’s probably most interesting about Maier’s collection is that it doesn’t feel designed for a specific woman or aesthetic. This reporter recently spied a feminine maximalist wearing one of his sweater coats. And yet, it’s easy to imagine a modernist reaching for this season’s woolly houndstooth popover with a drop waist. What’s more, Maier isn’t afraid to pull good-looking items — like a contrast-ribbing half-zip pullover — from his men’s collection when he thinks it works for women’s. Perhaps the collection’s versatility reflects the fact that the designer spends a good percentage of his time in Florida, away from the influence of the fashion crowd.