Break The Routine. Bally AW25

Simone Bellotti‘s collection for Bally was the perfect finale of Milan Fashion Week, being the best show of the last past days, shoulder to shoulder with Prada. Just like Miuccia and Raf, Simone does highly intelligent fashion – a rare talent. The autumn-winter 2025 show was titled elusively: “Leistung Aufführung” – two German words that both translate to “performance,” but carry distinct meanings. Leistung refers to performance in the sense of work, measured by productivity and achievements, while Aufführung signifies performance as a form of self-expression on stage. Hence the collection’s inspiration: 1970s photographs of Swiss performer Luciano Castelli, with his face heavily made up, dressed in shimmering sequined drag. In the collection, Castelli’s influence translated not only into shimmering berets and sequined make-up, but a striking play between structure and fluidity. Simone’s Bally is above all pure precision of cut; formal tailored coats and severe black leather dresses are regulars, but this time around they went through an expressive treatment, disrupted by wild burst of fur erupting at the back, or peeking out from the rigid crinoline of a peplum top. Those unexpected contrasts felt also very Dada, very Zürich’s Cabaret Voltaire. The bags, reminiscing giant bells that you can all over Swiss landscape, hit all the right spots. “I crave discipline, but breaking the routine is liberating,” Bellotti reflected. The industry rumor has it that this is the designer’s last collection for Bally, a triumph before his arrival to… Gucci. I’m here for it.