BALLY'S RIDE on the tides OF CHANGE

With a provocative new creative director at its helm, Bally has taken a visionary leap forward with its spring/summer 2023 collection, writes Alex Stephen.

- Alex Stephen

Rhuigi Villaseñor, a Los Angeles local of Filipino descent, titled his debut collection for Bally ‘Ecdysis’, a biological term that refers to the process of shedding an outer layer like the skin of a python to make way for fresh growth. His ready-to-wear range ushers in an audacious new era for the storied Swiss leather goods house. And for a brand that staged its last runway show two decades ago and has been anchored largely in bags and shoes since its founding in 1851, bringing Villaseñor’s trailblazing fashion expertise from Santa Monica to Switzerland heralds the beginnings of a dynamic metamorphosis.

The natural elements of a jagged coastal outcrop, along with the light and shade of sky and water provide an intriguing backdrop for the collection’s metallic leathers, washed denim, safari-inspired separates and gold-toned hardware. A sultry duo crouching by a rock pool is seductively attired in cutaway evening wear, a marsala-red lip and chunky yellow gold-toned cuffs completing the looks. A python print goat leather jacket and weekender bag tail a man in mid stride. Denim on denim is paired with amethyst and emerald glass stone cocktail bracelets, and while the ensemble’s wearer is perched precariously, inches above a tidal pool’s surface, this is clearly not the campaign imagery of a brand treading water.

Changing tides