There is much more to Switzerland than watches and chocolate, as Bally's creative director Simone Bellotti is increasingly discovering as she “delves deeper into the idea of the country,” she said backstage. In fact, for the fall she was drawn to Swiss folk stories, such as the legend of a mermaid from Lake Engadine, which led her to show off fishtail skirts that reached below the knee.
As he did with his debut collection last September, Bellotti injected unexpected details into his understated, elegant designs with sculpted silhouettes, like a tuft of shearling sprouting under a skirt or on the back of a biker jacket, and added quirky details like bells and flower studs on the brand's Glendale Mary Janes, structured bags, and even a men's leather vest.
Beneath 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 capes and loden coats, but the fabric was also twisted into button-down dresses. back. The outerwear offering was strong for both men and women, and included oversized Montgomery coats, jackets with curved hems or in 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 second collection was compelling, as the Gucci alum is clearly aware of and respectful of Bally's history, spanning more than 173 years, and its strong heritage in leather goods. But at the same time he is confident in 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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