Bally Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear

For his sophomore collection as Bally’s creative director, Simone Bellotti continued to draw upon the pastoral symbolism of Swiss folklore and Alpine mysticism—aspects of Swiss culture as fascinating as they are unknown or overlooked. Sirens, magic creatures and spirits living in lakes, mountain streams or fountains were actually painted as graffiti on the façades of houses in the Engadin area; in ancient times, on New Year’s Eve men from mountain villages donned costumes crafted from shaggy furs, moss, ivy and twigs, wearing huge cowbells around their necks, mutating into wild demonic figures. Bellotti said: “It’s about the instinctual and the animalistic versus the sobriety of the rational.”

A sensitive yet pragmatic designer, Bellotti played astutely with references; steering clear of literal translations, he combined severity and grace, austere poetry and functional Swiss precision. On a neat double-breasted swing loden coat, the skirt flared into the shape of a treichein bell; a masculine crisp poplin shirt, tucked into high-waisted denims, was worn under a knitted gilet revealing a furry back, hinting at a wilder, less disciplined side. Like the soft pelt of an untamed creature, a fur insert peeked out from under a strict, asymmetrical knee-length felted-wool dress, held on one side by a silver safety pin; on the same note, the high waists of sinuous midi skirts in velvet or dry wool were scalloped and curved, recalling the bifurcated tail of freshwater sirens.

Progressing into less instinctual territory, Bellotti offered smart, elegant quotidian solutions, “garments comfortable and proper that you could wear for office life in a Swiss bank.” Tailoring was precisely cut, with a cool patrician undertone; black leather was made into protective yet supple blousons, carcoats and capes. Introducing a cautious note of disorder, a knee-length pencil skirt as well as a masculine waistcoat in black leather were studded with traditional Appenzeller motifs of hearts, cows, and edelweiss interspersed with metallic punkish grommets, hinting at the photographic work of Swiss queer artist Karlheinz Weinberger, whose late 1950s homoerotic portraits were published in the book Rebel Youth. It was a subtle nod to a discourse rooted in the now that makes Bellotti’s work at Bally all the more pertinent, as well as his flair for a pragmatic, expressive fashion that syncs up with the beat of the times.