Bally’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection designed by Simone Bellotti reconciles craftsmanship with pragmatic luxury.
Held at the formal gardens of the Chiostro di San Simpliciano in Milan, the Spring/Summer 2024 collection designed by Simone Bellotti was a reflection of the precise and the organic, on strictness and softness. Aligning classical design principles in new contexts for contemporary living, the collection departed from a place of sober elegance towards the spirit of Monte Verità, a utopian haven of alternative intellectuals and creative souls who settled in Ascona, Switzerland at the turn of the 20th century. Their libertarian approach – rejecting the weight of urban existence for a holistic communion with the environment – was a cultural revolution of literature, dance, painting and performance. This season, Bellotti reignited this artisanal bohemia through the bespoke sounds of DJ Leo Mas, whose Balearic sounds marked Ibiza’s Summer of Love in 1987 with the same carefree abandon.
In a confluence of masculine and feminine wardrobes, the outing by Bally celebrated the concept of duality, inspired by Bellotti’s vision of a brand with layers, a reflection of our human nature. Within it, Swiss red, cobalt and chartreuse made their presence felt against a palette of washed neutrals – colours that evoke both an urban uniformity and the soft nuances of alpine flora. Familiarity – of archetype, silhouette, cloth – was harnessed and relinquished through games of shrunken proportion and symmetry. Gestures – of drape and swing, of explosive volumes, of discreet charm – were abundant yet light to the touch, in dry cotton and ripstop, poplin, jersey, taffeta, pointelle and polished leathers. All in all, a wholesome closet comprising lightweight knits, red leather coats, and roomy tailored three-button blazers. A crisp white shirt worn with a knee-length skirt and styled with a sporty baseball cap and Mary Jane shoes stood out. The high point of the show was a push on unexpected layering; there was a black leather jacket and shorts combo worn over a chambray blue shirt and a leather overcoat worn over a blue dress with rosette detailing peeking out.
Steeped in the brand’s 172-year legacy of fine shoemaking, there was a redux of archival models as new pillars of style. Revisiting and refining the flat buckled Glendale with a pointed vamp, the Scribe oxford lace-up with a burnished toe, and the Bally-rina flat with studded details, the standards of classic formality were laced with contemporary rigour. Polished ‘appenzeller’ talisman belts and tooled leather bells all offered a tribute to Swiss custom. Moreover, luggage and handbags exemplified the dualities at play, as structured briefcases and frame purses in polished calfskin and gold chain hardware were seen alongside soft canvas messengers and weekender bags trimmed with the brand’s emblematic ribbon and crest.
All Images: Courtesy Bally.
Manish Mishra is a well respected Fashion Editor, Columnist and Digital Creator with his works published in several Indian and international publications over a decade now. Fondly known as ‘Dandydujour’, Manish’s personal style is pretty much a reflection of his writing prowess – distinctive, uninhibited and precise.
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