I’m always thrilled when a brand has stepped up its handbag game, and that’s why I’ve been keeping an eye on Bally since I saw the brand’s Fall 2015 lookbook months ago. The Swiss leather goods company has been around since 1851, and the addition of Pablo Coppola as design director in 2014 has made the line’s bags feel incredibly fresh.
Most of the bags available via Bally retail for less than $2,000 and are mercifully free of logos or look-at-me hardware, which makes many of them a perfect choice for women looking for a discreet-but-stylish work bag, as well as those among us who are simply tired of the popular bags of the moment from bigger design houses.
The leather on most of the bags looks wonderful, and the current collection includes everything from trendy saddle bags to workhorse totes. Check out some of our favorites below or shop the full selection via Bally.
Bally B Turn Everyday Satchel
$1,995 via Bally
Bally Ballyssime Extra Small Tote
$750 via Bally
Bally Berkeley Medium Satchel
$1,795 via Bally
Bally Bloom Drawstring Bag
$1,395 via Bally
Bally Corner Bag
$1,695 via Bally
Bally Eclipse Medium Flap Bag
$2,795 via Bally
Bally Eclipse Small Saddle Bag
$1,995 via Bally
Bally Fiona Medium Bag
$1,150 via Bally
Bally Sommet Extra Small Satchel
$1,195 via Bally
Bally Sommet Fold Small Satchel
$1,795 via Bally
Is it me or the sommet gold satchel looks a lot like the Celine knot bag?
It definitely looks like it, but honestly I like the Bally better. The Céline design feels like it’s trying too hard to me.
Absolutely agree!!! Bally bags are much lighter than celine.
These all look like copies. A couple look like copies of Celine bags (knot, trapeze); one looks like a copy of a Chloe (marcie?); several look like copies of Tod’s bags; one looks like the everpresent Mansur Gavriel. Overall, eh.
Ladies, a little info about Pablo Coppola, the new design director at Bally. Prior to joining Bally in February 2014, he designed accessories for Celine, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, and Christian Dior – starting from 2002. So, if some of their designs remind you of his work for Bally, most likely they’re his in the first place. Just a guess.
It isn’t included among the images here, but I love Bally’s Bernina tote. The pattern is great, and it’s practical and affordable.
I absolutely love the medium Sommet–a perfect marriage of Celine and Hermes.
I have never before seen a collection that borrows so heavily from other brands and achieve such glorious results.
I agree ,the quality and finishing is superior to celine and Chloe so I don t understand why people like those brands.i love bally the bags and the shoes and I don t think they are comparable to the other brands.
No wonder I pass by the Bally boutique and don’t walk in and browse. These bags look like Celine and Chloe while there are a few that are reminiscent of classic Coach. None of these brands appeal to me.
They should have just let Zagliani continue production. They bought it to have everyone work for Bally and still their bags don’t look any better. At least Zagliani had interesting designs and amazing exotics.
No no no. I never expected from Bally (which was for me like Marni up there) a copy of Celine. Shame on them. Sorry this is not acceptable.
There is a Bally store near me and its bags have tempted me a few times, but in the end I always decided against them. Reasons: many of their bags have straps that are just a little too short to go comfortably over their shoulder, but aren’t really the kind of bags you want in the crook of your arm or want to hand carry. Example: the Bally Eclipse in photo 7. Or they have that canvas strap, which I HATE and which looks too Tommy Hilfiger-ish (I hate the canvas strap on Gucci bags too). The Corner bag is nice and easy to carry, but…there are other bags I like more. They do seem to have copies of other brands, as mentioned in the comments here: an example is their Lisette bag, which looks like a silly copy of Tom Ford’s also silly Jennifer bag. http://www.ballyofswitzerland.com/en/shop-woman/bags/shoulder-bags/lisette-medium-women%C2%B4s-safari-brown-leather-shoulder-bag-6194492.html#start=1
OTOH, they do incorporate some nice Swiss touches, like adding the mountain climbing clips to certain bags. That’s a clever Alpine twist on the bag charm idea. And I really did like their Bloom bowler bag in suede with python trim, sold only in select Bally stores (photos below). When you handle it in the shop, you can see what a nice bag it is. But at $2500 I simply couldn’t commit — I went for BV, getting a bag that I liked just as much and one that will, quite frankly, hold its value much better should I decide down the road to sell it.
Ladies, a little info about Pablo Coppola, the new design director at Bally. Prior to joining Bally in February 2014, he designed accessories for Celine, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, and Christian Dior – starting from 2002. So, if some of their designs remind you of his work for Bally, most likely they’re his in the first place. Just a guess.
Then at the very least, he should have improved the design (as in the Lisette version of the TF Jennifer bag). But I’m not seeing that.
Don’t try to fix what isn’t broken. Pity that you don’t see the beauty and innovation in his designs :=(
There is no even a single bag in the collection that doesn’t remind me of some other brand. Look at their website! They even have a very Goyard looking print! Just No.
I think for the “original” bag design, they’re not the best, really. But for the basic design like usual tote, they’re ok. My mom has a suede tote bought years ago and it’s still beautiful. I also just bought a large wild horn from them because I like the prints and everything about it.
But all in all, their quality is superb. I know this from their shoes line.
I am surprised at the aggressive ‘copy’ remarks – many premier designers follow trends and overall ‘looks’ from season to season. It’s called ‘fashion’.
I don’t see anything here that screams rip off at all. In fact to me they present a refreshing palette of colour that is unusual, even daring. The website shows many kinds of bags and shoes that look really great and worthwhile to me. The canvas pattern is unique and although reminiscent (vaguely) of Goyard in terms of shape, the graphics are completely different.
Seems to me that high end consumers trade on a kind of instinctive conservative snobbishness, where the less familiar brands are automatically edited out. I really like Bally and I look forward to seeing more. Their scarves (particularly some of their square shaped men’s scarves) look great too.
Well, yes and no. I pass a Bally store every day on my way to work, so it’s not a “less familiar” brand to me. And I think their shoes are great. The bags are well made but…as I posted earlier, the strap lengths are wrong for many of them. They’re too short to fit comfortably over the shoulder and too long to be comfortably carried as a real “hand” bag or in the crook of your arm. The canvas straps cheapen their look, even though it is part of the brand image with some bags. I do like the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship plus the cleverness of using mountain climbing clips as bag charms. But overall…nope. No sale.
Thank you!
I recall buying a saddle bag (same shape as above) in London late 70’s. To be called a “saddle bag” the bag has to adhere to certain design constraints. If a designer puts a spin on a particular shape and that style becomes a success we then identify that shape/style with the designer (Chloe Marcie). Essentially the designer then “owns” that shape. Much like Apple “owns” smartphone GUI’s.
The challenge then becomes for other designers to take the same shape and make it their own. The problem with the Bally saddle bag above is they put that piping (or whatever you call it) on the flap. THAT makes it look like a Chloé copy!!!! They should of had more confidence in their design team. Why do piping at all? Maybe play with textures: make the flap a Saffiano leather and the body smooth.
Shame really. From the pics it looks SIGNIFICANTLY more beautiful than the Chloé.
#7 – beautiful – Let’s be honest…….there really are only so many shapes to make a purse. Somtimes……they look like another. I don’t really care. I like what I like……. I think #3 is also very nice.
Nothing “incredibly fresh” in this collection. They all look like copies to me.
Bally is a brand sad decline over the years… nobody wants to buy Bally in France and many of their stores have closed.
Lighten up, dude. Not everybody in France buys LV either 🙂