The open road beckons once more – Bally Spring Summer 2019 is an adventure inspired by the road trips of pioneer colour photographers Joel Sternfeld and Stephen Shore, and pays homage to the warm glow of a Californian sunset.
The open road beckons once more. An adventure inspired by photographic road trips in which retro sportswear inspired by 1970’s and 80’s colour photo hues is given a modern contemporary spin. Bally’s carefree wanderlust yearns to discover a simpler time and place disconnecting if only temporary, from today’s hyper-connected world. By escaping a bit, a connection to Bally’s luxury roots in Schônenwerd, Switzerland is found again. Not left behind is the desire for ease, comfort and functionality in stylish sportswear and accessories. Let the journey home begin.
The Mood
In line with Bally’s pioneer spirt, spring summer 2019 draws inspiration from two fine art photographers with journalistic leanings who led the colour photography art boom in the 1970’s though separate cross-country road trips. On these quests, they captured the ordinary in extraordinary photographs, especially in Los Angeles and parts of California.
Both photographers created images marked by a bold colour saturation mixed with muted vintage sepia tones. Taking a passer-by approach, Joel Sternfeld’s images capture plain every-day and often ironic vignettes of American life migrating from the urban scrum to the expansive open road, particularly evident in a 1983 photograph of a father and son from Canyon County California. Contemporary Stephen Shore’s snapshots elevate the banality of everyday circumstances and objects which are channeled throughout collection with nostalgic touches.
Paying homage to the warm glow of a California sunset, Spring 2019 is presented in a monochromatic peach set styled as a flea market bazaar quite similar to a roadside rummage sale.
The Archive
Bally’s rich archives are considered with each collection. For Spring 2019 references of Bally’s Swiss home in Schönenwerd are extracted. Select archive styles of shoes and bags are revisited in modern interpretations. A ribbon-style Bally logo from a 1940 Reynold Vuilleumier advertising poster is seen on clothes and shoes.
Credits: © Courtesy of Bally Ufficio Stampa
