The Bally girl this season is a diplomat's daughter circa the seventies who's gotten into her dad's closet, Michael Herz explained at the company's presentation today. It's not as random as it sounds: The Swiss luxury goods house launched ready-to-wear in 1976. Its Fall oxfords are a modernized take on archival shoes from that year, and the new "diplomat bag" is a shrunken version of a hard briefcase that an important man from the era might've carried.
Herz and his design partner, Graeme Fidler, otherwise resisted the urge to go retro. Rather, the collection felt of this moment, with lots of peplums on dresses and other references to trending topics like the military and motorcycling. A trompe l'oeil print of a biker jacket on a tee and a T-shirt dress was a misstep, though. At Bally prices, pieces like that are no joke.
Leather being the brand's stock-in-trade, outerwear was the standout here. A red leather coat with covered snap closures came with a removable double-breasted panel, so you could also wear it single-breasted, and its bold shearling collar unzipped into an even bolder hood. It's available in black, too, but the cut and the fit are so good, you'd be no less conspicuous in it.
