Dressing up Bally

The luxury shoemaker expands into the competitive world of men's and women's apparel

BACK WHEN quality shoes were cobbled by hand, one pair at a time, a trip to Paris in 1890 provided a eureka moment for Carl Franz Bally. That's when he discovered a pair of shoes so beautiful that he purchased several pairs for his wife. The discovery convinced him that there could be a market for quality shoes, even if they were, nearly unthinkable at the time, mass-produced.

Liberated from manual tasks, Bally's Swiss-based family business could create enough inventory to become one of the first luxury-goods companies to go global, serving markets throughout Europe, Asia and that growing nation, the United States.

Today, Bally is known worldwide for high-quality ready-to-wear shoes and accessories, but you can't be a global player these days without a diverse product mix. The more the merrier. So just as clothing designers have ventured into accessory, cosmetic, fragrance and jewelry territories, Bally has made the leap into the competitive world of men's and women's apparel.

Bally celebrates its grand reopening today in a new 3,000-square-foot location at Ala Moana Center that's double the space of its previous store, the better to showcase its Spring/Summer 2006 collections.

The theme for the new collections is "Off the Coast of Mexico," with pieces marked by warm, vibrant colors reflecting land, ocean and sky in a palette that works well in sunny Hawaii.

Playful floral design motifs are combined with classic tailoring in cotton voile blouses, sheer linen skirts and other relaxed styles are perfectly at home in both office and casual settings. Lightweight silk sweaters paired with soft pleated skirts also allow women to travel in style.

Bally's roots as a ribbon maker are reflected in signature "Trainspotting" grosgrain adorning flat shoes, handbags and prints on silk.

"We expect double-digit growth in this new location with the introduction of ready-to-wear for the first time," said Bally CEO Marco Franchini, through e-mail. "Though ready-to-wear represents today only 10 percent of our business, we have worked to consolidate this category and today we can proudly say that it represents a stable and profitable part of our business and a perfect complement to our shoes and accessories collections."

To mark the opening, Bally has created a tote bag that will be sold only at its Ala Moana store.

The bag, constructed of canvas with leather trim, features a multiflower print fabric exploding with cheerful and brilliant colors -- fire, turquoise, mandarin, kiwi, chocolate and beige -- to create a vivid Hawaiian floral motif. Only 60 of the limited-edition bags, priced at $395, are available.

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