Fashion News: Bally SS15 Ready-to-Wear

Bally of Switzerland started as a love story -- and who doesn't love a good love story? Carl Franz, on a business trip to Paris in 1849, wanted to buy his wife a pair of lace-up booties. He didn't remember her size so he bought twelve pairs. TWELVE PAIRS! His family was originally in the business of manufacturing elastics and he noticed that the shoes used something similar to what his family produced. Long story short, Carl Franz and his brother, Fritz, found designers and they began producing handmade shoes in their home.

There's been lots of changes in the company: In November 2013, Bally announced Frédéric de Narp as the new CEO of Bally of Switzerland. In a January 2014 interviewwith Women's Wear Daily, de Narp talked about "look[ing] to add excitement to Bally."

Autumn/Winter 2014 was Pablo Coppola's first season as the new creative director for Bally. I would almost say he played it safe, with neutral colors and silhouettes that were classic and easy to style. Although de Narp had the designers at Bally bring back things from the archives, the collection for AW2014 almost seemed too safe for my tastes. But in a April 2014 interview with Esquire, Coppola talks about building on the foundation that him and his team built for themselves in AW14 and adding more texture and print to SS15. 

And that he did.

The last time I was excited about something at Bally was about two years ago, when Miranda Kerr was featured in the ad campaigns. And I'm not quite sure if it was because I was in love with the actual product or because I'm just a giant fan of Miranda Kerr.

I'll admit, I wasn't ever too familiar with Bally as a brand -- I always thought it was for a much older demographic than what I saw myself as. And the stories of grandparents and parents having Bally products from 20 years ago just reinforced that idea to me.

But when I saw the SS15 Ready-to-Wear collection, I was absolutely blown away. Coppola took a brand that's been known for their exquisitely made men's shoes and leather goods for the past couple decades and reinvented its women's clothing to appeal to a whole new generation. You'll see what I mean below. 

---

This gorgeous shade of green isn't what I would immediately think of for a spring collection -- but then again, what's more spring than the green coming back into our surroundings? The bag pictured here appears to be a new version of the Sommet bag (which was released in the Autumn 2014 season) but it looks like they've added a shoulder strap. 

When I first saw this look, I definitely didn't think "Oh, this is ABSOLUTELY a Bally look!" The relaxed, laid-back chic almost makes me think of something Rag and Bone (which you all know I love) would put together. 

And speaking of Rag and Bone (my FAVORITE denim brand... ever!) -- Bally is the last brand I'd think of for denim. Leather? Absolutely! Denim? Bally's not my immediate though but the relaxed, slouchy fit being paired with such a sleek blazer creates an easy going chic that I would definitely give a shot.

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen me post this picture. But I'm not lying when I say I'm absolutely obsessed with this look! The styling is on point -- from the layering to the messy side braid, I LOVE IT ALL! Especially the nice little nod to when we used to all tie our sweatshirts around our waists in the 90's.

The bag silhouette that you see here was introduced in the Autumn 2014 season as well -- and it's called the Corner bag. When I said de Narp asked Coppola and his team to go through the archives, I meant it. The corner cut shape and bag name was inspired by Bally's history of being the first shoe company to cut a little corner off the inside heel of men's shoes because men's pants kept getting caught on their heels. (You learn something new everyday!) When Coppola promised he'd bring more textures and print to the spring collection, he wasn't kidding. Even though the Autumn version of the bag had some exotics, the colors were still safe and relatively neutral (black, Bally Red, and even the exotic was a grey lizard skin.) For the spring, he did lots of bright colors, different exotics, and did I see a version with fur?!

Oh burgundy, how I love you so! Whether we call you aubergine, burgundy, or whatever new name we come up with... I love you. And I'm so glad Coppola extended this color into the spring collection as I'm sure many of us are left wondering after the colder months what we're supposed to do with all this burgundy stuff. Or maybe that's just me.

Again, this effortless chic resonates throughout the collection and this look is no different. I even love the color play of the lush jewel green to the burgundy -- it makes the red and green combo a lot less Christmas-y.

I'm also a sucker for a good maxi dress, even though my five-feet-tall self can barely find any to fit me correctly. Bally, other than being known for their leather, is also known for how absolutely gorgeous their fabric selection is on their Ready-to-Wear. I'm more than excited to see this in person (along with the rest of the collection) even if the dress itself is taller than me. 

I love when designers take an older company and flip it on its head. It's hard to take risks in a company where they're kind of set in how they want things done and already know exactly what works and what doesn't. I'll admit, I was a little let down by the Autumn/Winter 2014 collection but this spring collection definitely makes up for it.

What do you think? Check out all the looks at Style.com!

> Disclosure: Although I am a current employee of Bally, any and all opinions are of my own and I was not paid in any way to review this collection. I was not paid or persuaded to sell, endorse or falsify my opinion or testimony on the product. This post is also a review and contains opinions of my own, as well as any factual information about the product that can be found elsewhere. My opinions are my own and in no way, shape or form should be taken as the company's.