If an Argentinian fashion designer living in London by way of Paris were confronted with the puzzling task of reviving a lethargic Swiss heritage leather brand, it would most likely unleash a culture clash of epic proportions. That’s what more or less happened when Pablo Coppola was appointed as Bally’s creative director in 2014. Yet the irrepressible energy that the ebullient designer has been able to inject into the proper, restrained, quietly elegant label has proved to be as revitalizing as the youth serums administered to aging beauties in hyper-expensive clinics secluded in the Swiss Alps.
The men’s Spring collection, presented together with the women’s Resort line, was proof that Coppola’s joyful South American spirit has so far worked wonders; it translated into a hyper-colorful, slightly madcap lineup that brimmed with a sense of humor. “Opposites attract! It’s a magpie kind of look,” said the designer. To prove his point, he started to enumerate at full throttle a totally bonkers list of references so diverse that it seemed to make absolutely no sense at all: “Bianca Jagger in the ’70s; the Japanese playboy and race driver Tetsu Ikuzawa; Karlheinz Weinberger’s photos of ’60s rebellious gangs from Zurich (Yes! Swiss rebels! They actually existed!); David Hicks’s bold colors for Japanese kimonos; David Hockney and Daidō Moriyama’s graphic works; vintage Ballys posters; Swiss folklore and edelweiss embroidered on Western shirts; Kurt Cobain stylish grunge; Jackie Brown and her pimp-ish gangsta look; the MTV Generation . . .”
He could’ve gone on forever, so I begged for mercy. Yet, as if by magic, all this riotous cacophony suddenly gelled in a quite delightful lineup, perfectly balanced in its apparent stylistic madness. It all came down to a wardrobe of simple, well-tailored, wearable pieces in luxury fabrics, easily mixed and matched, with plenty of desirable accessories, fired up with clashing colors and cool details, topped with a modern quirkier-than-quirk attitude. The same mood was applied equally to both lines; stylewise, menswear and womenswear looked well matched, with the same youthful, irreverent, geeky-chic attitude. Certainly, all the magpie extravagance paid a not-so-subtle homage to Gucci-esque flair, but hey! Let the Swiss have a taste of a joyful, irresistible South American creative boldness: It won’t hurt at all, especially at retail.
