MILAN FASHION WEEK
Mel Finds Out Who’s Wearing Underwear at Bottega Veneta Winter 2024
What comes to mind when you think of Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy? “A very sophisticated genius and a pleasure to work with,” says A$AP Rocky. “What he’s done with Bottega is extraordinary,” adds Julianne Moore. “I’ve known him since he was an assistant at Calvin Klein.” As evidence, there’s the designer’s Winter 2024 collection for Bottega Veneta, presented in in Milan last weekend, where his taste and precision were on full display with a procession of elevated clothes for the day-to-day. After the show, our Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg put each of them in the hot seat for this special edition of the Rorschach Test, in which we asked the Bottega brood to sound off on leather, staycations, and the concept of genius.
———
ROMAN EMPIRE
A$AP ROCKY: “I think about world domination. The word colonial comes to mind, obviously. But yeah, the Roman Empire was very strong and here we are. There’s a lot of influence. It stood for a long time.”
BAMBII: “Twilight.”
JAMES BLAKE: “I don’t know what to feel. The recent trend about asking people about the Roman Empire was probably started by some modern Romans who were just—they just were chasing that feeling again, of being everywhere.”
JEREMY O. HARRIS: “White people.”
JULIANNE MOORE: “I never think about the Roman Empire, and it’s hard for me to understand the people who do.”
ÚRSULA CORBERÓ: “Boring.”
ZAYA WADE: “Spartacus.”
LEATHER
ROCKY: “Need I say more? Leather loafer.”
BAMBII: “Bodysuit.”
BLAKE: “I’m not really a leather guy. I know I’m at a Bottega show, so I probably shouldn’t say that, but don’t love it on me. I’ve just got a low heat threshold and it makes me very hot.”
HARRIS: “Berlin.”
ANTWAUN SARGENT: “Bottega.”
MOORE: “I love leather. My pants are leather. I’m trying to tear myself away from leather couches too, because I’ve overdone it.”
MIKA: “Not comfortable.”
NANNI: “Sex.”
WADE: “Bottega.”
———
MATTHIEU BLAZY
ROCKY: “The man behind the madness. A very sophisticated genius and a pleasure to work with. His imagination and his artistic value is unmatched, in my opinion, especially in this day and age.”
BLAKE: “Very good job he’s doing. Excellent show.”
SARGENT: “Sweet.”
MOORE: “So talented and really modest and imaginative. What he’s done with Bottega is extraordinary. I’ve known him since he was an assistant at Calvin Klein. The things he’s achieved have been remarkable.”
CORBERÓ: “Cool.”
HAIR
ROCKY: “Some people read cool with the Michael Jordan baldy look and people such as myself, we get a little creative with our hairstyles.”
BAMBII: “Lace front.”
BLAKE: “I’ve had the same haircut since I was about 10. I shaved it once and I looked like a prehistoric bird, so I stayed off the internet for a while and let it grow back. I never really dwelled on that one.”
HARRIS: “Mine.”
SARGENT: “Jeremy O. Harris.”
MOORE: “I think of my struggles with my hair, and whether or not my hair’s going to be straight, or wavy, or is it going to be raining? Is my hair going to frizz? I’m pretty self-absorbed when I think about hair.”
MIKA: “Don’t need it.”
———
GENIUS
ROCKY: “We should protect genius at all costs and acknowledge them. That’s more important than anything, because it’s so easy to rewrite history. So if you know a contemporary or a modern genius, lift them up and acknowledge them.”
BAMBII: “Kelela.”
HARRIS: “Overrated, because it’s a temporary status, not a lifelong status. Some people are genius for a moment, but not forever.”
MOORE: “John Lennon as a genius, or Einstein. I think of that kind of achievement as being a genius. I don’t think I’m a genius.”
MIKA: “Matthieu Blazy.”
NANNI: “Scorsese.”
OVERRATED
ROCKY: “A lot of these rappers, a lot of these fashion brands, a lot of the things that are commercialized right now in this climate.”
BAMBII: “Oh, the Grammys.”
BLAKE: “VR and the Metaverse and anything that drags us away from real life.”
MOORE: “Competition is overrated. There’s this idea that somebody always has to win. That can be flattening and take the joy out of participating.”
CARBS
ROCKY: “I’m working on cutting down on these carbs. The treadmill is my worst enemy.”
BLAKE: “I preferred when I didn’t know what a carb was, actually. There was a time when I had never heard that word. And then I moved to America.”
MOORE: “I love carbs. I did go through a period where I really avoided carbs. I thought that being an actor meant it was something that I couldn’t participate in. I’m back and I eat plenty of them.”
CORBERÓ: “Pasta.”
WADE: “I eat on a daily basis.”
OPULENCE
ROCKY: “I’m not familiar with the word. Does it have anything to do with optical or vision? [OTTENBERG explains.] Wow. I think you just described me. That’s my new word. You learn something new every day, kids. Opulence. AKA, ASAP Rocky.”
BAMBII: “Doing nothing.”
HARRIS: “Tips.”
SARGENT: “Personal style is opulent.”
NANNI: “Milan.”
WADE: “The lighting in the show.”
———
OPERA
ROCKY: “I’m actually going to one. I heard that it’s really long though, and it’s rude to get up and walk out. Get the sunglasses with the eyes just printed on them that’s just always open. So if you happen to doze off, you won’t be rude.”
BLAKE: “Glad they’re still doing it. Have you seen The Crown? In the palace there’s a guy who is the Warden of the Swans, whose entire job it is to just know everything about swans and keep the swans good. I feel like that’s opera.”
HARRIS: “Best outfits. I love that it’s the only place in New York where people actually dress. ”
SARGENT: “Best thinking time. I come up with the best ideas when I’m in a space like that.”
MOORE: “Too long, man. Two hours is okay. Five hours is not.”
WADE: “Vocal strength.”
———
A$AP ROCKY
BAMBII: “Relaxed.”
BLAKE: “I mean, he’s my mate. Good guy. Fun to work with. He was here.”
HARRIS: “Rihanna.”
SARGENT: “The ultimate baby daddy.”
MOORE: “He is the nicest person. I heard him give a speech once. My sister-in-law used to work for an organization called Volunteers of New York, and he accepted an award there, and he was so gracious. I was really impressed by him.”
MIKA: “Fashion Killer.”
NANNI: “Icon.”
CORBERÓ: “Cool.”
WADE: “I died.”
ROOM SERVICE
ROCKY: “It sucks out here in Milan. I’m joking.”
BAMBII: “Must-have.”
BLAKE: “I still get excited about room service. It. I’ve traveled a lot. I’m not jaded about those things, even now.”
HARRIS: “My life.”
SARGENT: “I never use it.”
MOORE: “One of my favorite things.”
CORBERÓ: “Scrambled eggs.”
———
RENAISSANCE
BAMBII: “Raves.”
BLAKE: “I used to think of Italian paintings of naked people. Now I think of Beyoncé, as I think we all do.”
HARRIS: “Beyoncé. We’re giving Renaissance to Black people in this country.”
SARGENT: “‘16 Carriages.’ That is one of the greatest songs ever written. She’s so real for it because she’s now number one on the country charts. She’s lifted other Black country artists too, all of their streaming numbers. That’s the real Renaissance.”
MOORE: “I do think about the Renaissance, whereas I don’t think about the Roman Empire. Maybe the Renaissance is a more female thing.”
WADE: “Beyoncé.”
———
CAPPUCCINO
ROCKY: “I need one every morning.”
BAMBII: “Anxiety. No caffeine, ever.”
BLAKE: “Not after 12.”
HARRIS: “I had three today.”
SARGENT: “Hate. Milk makes you bloated. It’s gross. Lactose is worse than carbs.”
MOORE: “I also love cappuccinos. Cappuccinos are weird in Italy though, because it’s not cool. You can’t have cappuccino after a meal because that indicates right away that you’re American.”
MIKA: “I need it in the morning.”
CORBERÓ: “Oat milk.”
DOLLY PARTON
ROCKY: “Music to my ears, man.”
BAMBII: “Icon.”
BLAKE: “Living legend.”
HARRIS: “Mother.”
SARGENT: “AIDS icon. She really was out there on the streets getting money for people dying. A lot of people don’t know that, but she’s an activist. And she has amazing tattoos.”
MOORE: “I don’t think there’s a person alive who doesn’t love Dolly Parton.”
NANNI: “I don’t know where is that.”
CORBERÓ: “What’s that?”
WADE: “Iconic.”
———
UNDERWEAR
ROCKY: “I think it’s important unless you like going commando. Where I’m from, we call it free-balling.”
BAMBII: “Don’t need it.”
HARRIS: “Who needs it? I’m wearing underwear right now, but only because I’m not at Berghain. If I was, these leather pants would not have underwear in them.”
SARGENT: “I wear Calvin Klein. The same fucking briefs. It’s boring.”
MOORE: “I’ve recently discovered underwear from Uniqlo. It was a really big surprise to me that it was so available and I could get it all over the world. That’s been a real eye-opener for me.”
CORBERÓ: “Owoo.”
WADE: “Iconic and necessary.”
STAYCATION
ROCKY: “I don’t really get much vacations and I don’t stay anywhere. I’m always on the move. So I don’t know much about staycations, man. But let’s get back to this oculus thing.”
BAMBII: “Jamaica.”
BLAKE: “I can’t remember the last time I booked a holiday.”
HARRIS: “It’s New York because that’s where we all fucking live. It’s just in New York.”
SARGENT: “Only at The Greenwich. That’s my staycation in New York.”
MOORE: “I like them, particularly in New York City. If you have a staycation when people in New York City generally have a vacation, you will find the city is empty and pretty much yours.”
WADE: “Better than a vacation.”
Creative Direction | Thom Bettridge
Directed | Alex Gvojic in collaboration with ENT.TV
1st AC | Matteo Canzano
2nd AC | Andrea Zambelli
Video Assistant | Martina Lazzaro
Sound Operator | Matia Strang
Boom Operator | Davide Hare
Gaffer | Federico Cherchi
Grip | Fabio Macchi
Spark | Lorenzo Massa
Mel Grooming | Andrea Missiti
Editing | Ben Draghi, Keenan MacWilliam, and Julian Ribeiro
Executive Production: The Morrison Group
Local Production | PBJ
Jr. Local Producer | Lorenzo Gerli
Local Production Assistant | Richard Baker
