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The lowly sweatpant was elevated to lofty status at Bottega Veneta where creative director Tomas Maier took a bold plunge into a pool of casual wear. With his exacting methods, Mr. Maier is not, by nature, much of a slacker. So it was interesting to see how this master cutter applied his sartorial forensics to a garment hitherto limited to the confines of a couch. Maier called his sweatpants 'pull-on pants' and he cut them from a dense wool jersey that was rich enough for the boardroom. With a back pocket and sharply defined ribbed cuffs, the pants had proper structure and looked terrific when paired with wool jackets, coats and bomber jackets in monotone shades of celery, sage, apple and olive. It also helped that Maier eschewed tennis shoes and instead paired the chill pants with sleek triple monk strap shoe booties. Even as he formalised loungewear, Maier also de-formalised his suiting. Working in traditional Prince of Wales checks, he added exaggerated, elasticised waistbands to his suit jackets, and dipped their edges in a slight smear of contrasting dye for a crafty touch.
Photography: Jason Lloyd Evans
