The Berlin Bottega Veneta show in April was possibly a precursor. No expense was spared, more than 60 models quarantined and flown in and put up at the local Soho House which apparently cost nearly a million Euros alone. The infamous after party with its vicious social media backlash, the brand which no longer was on social media so others could or should speak about it ended up with a lot of egg on its face. Or better the parent company Kering which remained unusually tight lipped afterwards. Whose fault was it? We heard about rumors of Daniel Lee being anything but kind to the local producers, ignoring everyone and not greeting them. We heard about the late night work sessions, from other designers who had worked there and quit because of the bad work culture and again the late nights. We heard about lavish photoshoots for lots of money by art photographers to take the portrait of Daniel Lee and his boyfriend, the ballet dancer Roberto Bolle. And we heard about a few things more – like the marketing director who needed to get every single media buy approved by Lee – but at the end of the day we didn’t really hear much about Bottega Veneta clothes recently. The Salon series was more or less a flop; the Berlin show had virtually zero coverage in the worldwide press because Lee couldn’t decide on the final selection of runway photos to be released. So the waiting press was told no less than three times to postpone publication. No coverage for a multi million dollar show investment? Clearly, Gucci is playing on a different level here owning worldwide news coverage by taking over a piece of the Hollywood Boulevard. For the Detroit Salon show it seemed to have worked a bit better but didn’t we all wonder when we saw the images: What’s that? It looked a bit too much like a local Detroit fashion show with local models by a local designer. Well, Daniel Lee has left the building and Bottega Veneta is looking for a new designer. Looks like too much was too much.

It needs to be said: There are fashion shows everywhere and all the time now but there are few designers who hold the power for a few seasons to decide the future of it. In general this power is always a statement of shape and silhouette, no matter how big or small or subtle. And to inject or deflate volume requires being in the fashion zone. Daniel Lee had this moment with Bottega Veneta for three years. The early shows were amazing, directional with highlights including the now called Bottega Green – most memorable in artist Rosemarie Trockel’s coat in the BV campaign – the rubber rain boots, the stretch sandal, the triangle pocket closure and the blockbuster pouch bag where the leather was gently folded to resemble a pouch. Lee really had an impact on high fashion clearly understanding that it’s all about the details. Sad to see him go but then it’s exciting to see what’s next at BV. The oversized weave look and chain ornaments have trickled down to the fast fashion copy cats everywhere, so it’s time for something new. By Bottega Veneta or somebody else. Lee certainly will have many good offers waiting. Some say the company starts with a B as well.