Doolally for Bally

I've been keeping tabs on Michael Herz (womenswear) and Graeme Fidler's (menswear) transition from Aquascutum to Bally because I loved what they did for the former and hoped that a similar rejuvenation would happen to the Swiss luxury label that perhaps had no real sense of direction beforehand.  Their first collection for Bally was naturally a starter-portion taster of what was to come and for A/W 11-12, it's been taken up a notch and suddenly I feel like I'll be in for a treat whenever the name Bally pops up. 

In a setting made to look like we were in a Swiss ice cave, I saw some of the most interesting takes on leather incorporated into outerwear that sends some of the pieces flying high into the Top of the Coats chart that is rapidly being amassed over the past few weeks (I've been leaving most shows and thinking "!!!Want.That.Coat!!!", with emphasis on the exclamation marks).  These are the sort of coats that I'd be happy to have to cover up the mess of an outfit going on underneath, something I'm normally vainly reluctant to do.  If Herz has taken his cue from Bally's 160 years of crafting beautiful shoes, then he's taken leather from those lovely uppers and applied them in all sorts of innovative ways in the clothing – laser-cutting, textured sheepskins as padding in a duffle, ostrich parkas – all in a muted but striking palette.  The tweeds have also benefited from a techno rethink with a digital print that adds a subtle sunset gradiation that makes me think of felt wadding or of course the process of making a Harris Tweed where a bajillion different colours are woven to form what appears to be a solid shade. 

Flashes of less wintry pieces such as this crinkly pleated skirt spread out over a display block soften the leather onslaught a bit…

In addition a touch of red like these opera furry leather gloves (revival of the super long winter glove is more than welcome… ) also prevent the collection from becoming an excercise in pragmatic excercise in winter gear…

As I said about Acne's A/W 11-12 collection, shades of unusual leather are always appealing… this shade is weirdly exactly the same as a strange Neil Barrett mens jacket I bought in New York that I'm hoping to break out soon…

Surely this needs to be made for Paddington Bear's flashier cousin (who also hails from Peru)?

The talking point was of course this sooooouped-up take on the curling shoe that couldn't possibly go anywhere near ice which only makes the use of hiking ropes, toggles and textured shearling purely based on aesthetics.  It's a fantasy shoe on some levels that may not get to see the light of day (I think the spindly sculpted metal heel was the length of my handspan…) but as an object that makes a point about Herz's intent with Bally, it hits the right spot…

Likewise, this take on the "mountain boot" is equally buzzy with ski-fasteners and a lug sole again bending the ski/snow/ice thematics at hand…

Bally's rejuvenation also goes hand in hand with its collaboration process which saw them picking out students from the MA Fashion Design course at Central Saint Martins and working with them to produce womenswear shoes that actually went into production.  The same has been extended to menswear and this was presented on the last day of London Fashion Week on menswear day.  Craig Green, the ultimate 'winner' will have these shoes produced and going into stores in June.  Inspired by the ancient wicker man effigy, Green's material collaging techniques makes for shoes that stand out from the Bally norm but still retaining the quality that Bally can offer.  I'd ask for them in womens' sizing but that would be greedy seeing as the womenswear mainline offering is looking to be a treat all by itself…