Bottega Veneta

WHAT: Bottega Veneta Snake-Trimmed Intrecciato Leather Shoulder Bag…WHY: What’s black, red, edgy, and thoughtfully practical? This rouge Bottega Veneta bag. The label’s classic woven leather gets an update with a touch of snakeskin and a chunky chain, and it even includes an external pocket for your mini iPad. For the fashion set, this is by far one of the most functional forms of multitasking. Consider us obsessed…AVAILABLE: $2,650, Net-a-Porter.com…

Joining the likes of Christopher Kane, Joseph Altuzarra, and Pomellato, Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier is getting a major boost from Kering. The luxury conglomerate already owns Bottega; now they’re honing in on helping the brand’s creative director develop his namesake brand. The two parties have agreed to a joint venture, with Kering acquiring a large stake in the company and providing capital which the brand will use to expand.

Bottega Veneta landed some new digs: Villa Schroeder-Da Porto in the Veneto region of Northern Italy is the new home for the company’s 300 employees. The company bought the 18th century villa in 2005 and began restoring it two years ago, with creative director Tomas Maier heading up the plans for the blueprint. The building will be obtaining LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certification at the Platinum level from U.S. non-profit organization the Green Building Council.

Oprah Winfrey continued to work the big hair look that’s gone viral after the release of the September cover of O at last night at the premiere of Lee Daniels’ The Butler. O wore a custom salmon THEIA cocktail dress featuring thousands of sequins in five varying shapes and sizes. (She’s pictured with longtime honey Stedman Graham, but we don’t have to tell you that.)

Bottega Veneta isn’t slowing down any time soon. After announcing record-breaking numbers for 2012 topping at $1 billion in revenues, the Italian luxury brand has teamed up with German ceramic manufacturer KPM on a new ceramic jewelry collection for Fall 2013. The bauble line will center around grey and white ceramic cameos set in a range of rings, earrings, and necklaces, and retail in select Bottega Veneta boutiques.

Let’s hear it for the boys! As another season of menswear comes to a close this week in Milan…

Bottega Veneta nabbed Peter Lindbergh to shoot their Spring campaign that was shot at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. “There are few photographers who can convey the range of emotion and personality that Peter can,” according to Bottega’s creative director, Tomas Maier. “We are both interested in escaping the clichés and conventions of fashion imagery.

Just Have Less [The New Yorker] John Colapinto’s intriguing profile of “hipster monk” Tomas Maier and his quiet revolution at Bottega Veneta…Daphne Guinness, Fashion’s Wild Child [Guy Trebay/NY Times] “The febrile-looking, almost lunar creature that emerged from a wifely chrysalis can sometimes appear as a techno/aesthetic movement mash-up: part Huysmans and part Jules Verne.”