There’s much more to Switzerland than watches and chocolate as Bally’s creative director Simone Bellotti is increasingly discovering by “going deeper into the idea of the country,” he said backstage. In fact, for fall he was attracted by Swiss folk stories, such as the legend of an Engadine Lake mermaid, which led to showing fishtail skirts in a below-the-knee length.
As he did with his debut collection last September, Bellotti injected unexpected details into his sober and prim designs with sculpted silhouettes, such as a tuft of shearling sprouting from under a skirt or on the back of a biker jacket, and adding quirky details such as tiny bells and flower studs on the brand’s Glendale mary janes, structured bags and even a man’s leather vest.
Under the stuccoed and frescoed vaults of Milan’s patrician 17th-century Palazzo Serbelloni and to a soundtrack by DJ Leo Mas, models wore forest green loden capes and coats, but the fabric was also twisted into dresses with buttons running down the back. The outerwear proposition was strong for both men and women, and included oversize Montgomery coats, jackets with curved hems or in a beautiful vintage-looking leather.
Flashes of red — as in a mohair minidress or jacquard knits with alpine motifs — interrupted the natural, earthy color palette. Crisp cotton shirts and boatneck sweaters were worn with indigo denim jeans and block-heeled boots.
Bellotti’s sophomore collection was convincing, as the Gucci alum is clearly mindful and respectful of Bally’s history, which spans more than 173 years, and its strong leather goods heritage. But at the same time he is confident about his own vision for the brand and the fall collection added another interesting chapter to the designer’s personal narrative at Bally.
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