Sandra‘s Closet

Almost thirty years ago, a nostalgic Bally sneaker quite accidentally became a legendary phenomenon upon the urban American hip hop scene.
Originally launched in 1991 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Federation, the Bally Animals unexpectedly became a status symbol of the growing US hip hop movement and in particular, the youth culture of New Orleans.

Long before rappers were calling out sneaker brands, Slick Rick wore a pair of bright red Bally kicks on the cover of his debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.

Bally’s street style presence had been underlying since the early 1980s with Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick advocating and wearing the brand but the Animals further developed this cult following; worn as a representative status symbol and adored by urban musicians and trend pioneers.

To celebrate its Swiss heritage and continued recognition of the brands mountain roots, Bally has reissued the sneakers alongside a selection of socks, launching in Switzerland this summer.

The collection consists of two replica Animal sneakers in selected derivations of blue, red and black with the familiar cow print procession along the sole and is available exclusively at Bally’s Zurich and Lucerne stores.

Happy Swiss National Day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally

Bally has teamed up with French NGO, Soieries du Mékong, in a collaboration which calls upon the expertise of Cambodian silk weavers, to create 500 special edition silk scarves.

Soieries du Mékong, empowers women from some of the poorest rural areas of Cambodia by offering them sustainable employment and developing their hand-weaving knowledge and skill. Each silk scarf is individually handmade in Cambodia taking up to 40 hours to craft, with each strand individually measured and dyed before the weaving process, and then finished by hand.

The scarves will be available globally online from the beginning of November as well as in Bally retail stores within the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Milan, France, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia and Singapore.

Shopping for a great cause, we love!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally

Last night, BALLY celebrated their new F/W 2014 collection in collaboration with L’OFFICIEL SWITZERLAND at the Zurich store on Bahnhofstrasse.

Exclusively for BALLY, I chose as editor-in-chief my must-haves for the next season that were highlighted in the store with cute little tags. Moreover guests were entertained by a specially curated trunk show during the event. Enjoy some impressions below and stay tuned for my outfit post coming up soon.

To shop the chic F/W 2014 collection online, click here please.

LoL, Sandra

My favorite BALLY heels: the BESNA PUMPS

My favorite BALLY bag: the SOMMET TOTE

Last night with Erhard Schwendimann, BALLY’s Managing Director Retail

Photos: © David Biedert Photography

Today is the start of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, United Kingdom, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad. So time to show your Olympic spirit.

Bally’s men’s West H. sneaker collection makes it easy to show your national pride. Fly the flag for your own nation.

Twelve casual leather sneakers pay homage to twelve different countries. Each West H. sneaker features a national flag screen printed with a cool vintage effect that includes Great Britain, Switzerland, the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Japan and more.

And Bally’s charming Bally-rina is back, this time to captivate us with her sporty London 2012 Olympic spirit in a specially designed women’s sneaker and tote.

The red stitched Athena high-top sneaker features a back zip which cutely reveals the very sweet Bally-rina whimsically waving a gymnastics ribbon in blue, red, green and yellow colours. The same motif can be found on the Hanoe fabric tote.

Both, Bally’s West H. sneaker collection and the Bally-rina collection are available in store and online. Bally offers free shipping at the moment for the sportive collection. Just enter promo code SPORTBALLY at checkout.

For collectors and most loyal fans of the Olympic Games, the Coca-Cola collector’s box Special Olympics five glasses grouping is available exclusively at Colette now. The 5 glasses come with a collector bottle and a tote bag.

Celebrate the 2012 London Olympics with the commemorative Butter London‘s Olympic Heavy Medal Collection. The set includes three beautiful, metallic nail lacquers worthy of standing upon the winners’ podium, all limited editions. 
Colours: The Full Monty, Diamond Geezer and The Old Bill.

Solange Azagury-Partridge has designed the Britannia Hotlips ring to celebrate the games. The renowned iconic Hotlips design featuring the British flag is a fun and original lucky charm- one last good luck kiss for the athletes!

For all winners among you, take sartorial gold in Markus Lupfer‘s playful sequin medal-embellished merino wool sweater. Decorated with signature charm and wit, this piece is sure to turn heads.

Take a playful approach to the sporting season with these ‘2012 Olympics’-inspired briefs by Team Great Britain’s Creative Director Stella McCartney. Cut from a blend of white cotton and silk, this colorfully embroidered pair will make a whimsical addition to your lingerie drawer.

Just click on the highlighted text to shop those must-have pieces.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally, Colette, Net-à-porter, Solange Azagury-Partridge and via Telegraph

I thought that you might like Bally’s F/W 2012 campaign that transports us to a winter wonderland of effortless luxury, set against the breathtaking alpine background that surrounds the chic Swiss ski resort of Verbier. As I am living in Switzerland, this scenery is part of my daily life and I always feel like being on vacation here in Zurich.

Shot by New York-based photographer Norman Jean Roy at Verbier’s prestigious Chalet d’Adrien, Bally chose the iconic mountain resort town in Switzerland’s Valais to directly reflect the Swiss brand’s own heritage. The campaign features Caroline Trentini, Hilary Rhoda, Andrew Cooper and Robert Konjic.

Below are some of the behind the scenes shots that I truly liked.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Bally

Two tone blouses are very up-to-date, adding a sophisticated touch to a classic look. Look out for contrasting cuffs and collars for an immediate style upgrade.

Favourites of the season:

Cotton-poplin shirt by Bally

Oakdene velvet and silk-crepe blouse by Aubin & Wills
Silk-trimmed cotton shirt by Bottega Veneta
Brett washed-silk shirt by Equipment
Leather-trimmed silk blouse by Tibi
Ciseau two-tone silk blouse by Sandro
Two-tone silk-chiffon top by Haute Hippie

LoL, Sandra

Bally, which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, came up with a very practical and cute idea: The Bally-Rina collection. Consisiting of matching totes and ballet flats, it epitomises effortless summer flair and versatility. Available in a range of understated summer colours, the bags and shoes retail for CHF 275.- each and are available in-store now.

I especially like the Bally-Rina logo that is inspired by the artwork from an original Villemont poster housed in the archive of the Swiss brand. Bernard Villemont (1911-1989) was a French graphic artist known primarily for his iconic advertising images.

LoL, Sandra

Bally Pink Shoes

Bally Kick

Chunky heels and wedges, this is what the summer 2011 is all about . Being more comfortable than high heels (especially if you live like me in a city plastered with cobblestones) and giving you a more casual and effortless look, those shoes will be surely bestsellers.

Enjoy those creations for this summer that are bold, daring and definitely different.

The footwear innovation for S/S 2011 is the flatform – a ballet flat elevated on a high platform heel, that gives you extra hight. Kind of reminiscent of summer espandrilles, but only higher. Designers are loving them at the moment.
And what about you? Are you a brick-like shoe lover?

LoL, Sandra

The first BALLY LOVE project is a series of outstanding iconic collectables created by Bally in partnership with Swiss-artist Philippe Decrauzat, a striking capsule collection featuring intriguing optical designs. Originally presented to the public during Art Basel in June, Bally will again showcase the collection during Art Basel Miami Beach, starting tomorrow, at a specially designed booth in the VIP Collectors Lounge.

Shop the iconic BALLY LOVE collection exclusively online and in the Miami pop-up store, located at the Moore Building, 191 NE 40th Street, Suite 101, Miami Design District, starting from December 3rd. From Decmber 4th, the collection will be available in selected stores.

Fashion meets art – always a good match!

LoL, Sandra

Last weekend was my birthday and one of my lovely girlfriends gave me a wonderful present that I would like to share with you: A manicure set by Bally. It is made of grained nude coloured calfskin and the inside lining is lace-printed silk. Very à la mode and still so practical.

You can order it at the Bally website.

LoL, Sandra