Louise Trotter unveiled her second collection for Bottega Veneta on February 28, 2026, at the brand's Palazzo San Fedele headquarters during Milan Fashion Week. Inspired by Milan's brutalist architecture and hidden sensuality, the show featured powerful feminine silhouettes, sculptural tailoring, innovative textures mimicking furs and skins, and standout outerwear, blending womanly power with protective structures across 80 looks on a red carpet.
British designer Louise Trotter, who has lived in Milan for a year, presented her sophomore Bottega Veneta ready-to-wear collection at the Palazzo San Fedele, between La Scala and the Duomo. She described Milan as a 'very Brutalist city, with a sensuality that’s a little hidden,' drawing from its hard exterior and soft interior—echoed in locals' habit of dressing up. The show notes framed the lineup as 'the dialogue between brutalism and sensuality,' dedicated to 'the expression of the collective: the wondrous collaboration between the heart, the mind and the hand.'
The runway unfolded from somber, sculpted suiting in cold blacks and grays with exaggerated shoulder and hip padding—statements of womanly power distinct from 1980s styles, accentuating curves as protective cocoons. It transitioned to vibrant hues and inventive materials riffing on furs: silk threads mimicking shearling, real shearling brushed like fox fur, matte croc peacoats, intrecciato with furry fringe, thick-pile velvet like astrakhan, shaggy recycled fiberglass (in black-and-white or bubblegum pink), and a curly swing coat of over 2,000 shearling elements. Standouts included men's micro-intrecciato leather trenches and curving suits; fiberglass pieces evoking Cruella or Nick Cave’s Soundsuits; a crimson red sparkling set; silk-thread minidresses; and an asymmetrical black-and-white fringed skirt.
Model Liya Kebede walked in an oversize sculpted tunic and trousers. Nearly all looks featured hats like knit beanies or fringed caps nodding to Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 Romeo & Juliet, styled bare-legged or with leggings. Menswear brought relaxed tailoring, plush pea coats, military sweaters with leather patches, and padded officer’s coats. Addressing prior feedback on bulkiness, Trotter emphasized lightness and craftsmanship: 'We spent a lot of time... to have structure and form and curve without the heaviness... The pursuit of craft is central.' The show evoked Maria Callas, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and even Margot Tenenbaum. Styling tip: Pop one collar of a white shirt outside a jacket.
