Bally

[sydneycentric]

Saw some loafers that I really liked the look of in the Bally store, but just wondering about the quality of them? Priced at AUD 285 i thought it was fairly reasonable since they were marked down from around AUD 475. How would they stack up in terms of quality against a pair of Faconnable loafers?

 

[agavilanes]

From what I gather in the shoes related posts, neither bally or facconable get much love here (hence the lack of feedback). The only think I know about those brands is that facconable is not a very high quality brand since purchased by nordstrom a few years ago and that bally made in switzerland are better quality than bally made in Italy.

I have a pair of suede oxfords from bally and I think the quality is pretty decent. I paid USD 150 for them (before the USD appreciation period I think It was pretty much the same in AUD).

IMO, for AUD 285, you could do better than those 2 brands. But, if you really like'em, go for em

 

[meister]

Some nice double monks on sale but look cement not blake. The top handmade line are nice to at 30% off. But overall the worst year so far at Bally for shoes and very few designs.

 

[Journeyman]

Bally's "Scribe" range, which I believe are made in Switzerland, have a good reputation.
Pretty much all their other shoes are quite poor quality, particularly at their price point.

 

[yoshii]

Saw a pair of boots at Bally marked down from $650 to $350 which i thought was alright (price wise), but unsure of their built quality/durability, not that i'll be wearing them daily.

What else should i be looking at in that, $350ish, price range?
I'm in Melbourne, which may or may not limit options.

 

[meister]

If you buy reasonable cemented Ballys or Lloyds the option is always to have them Blake stitched (Italian style stitch down ) at the Strand shoe repairers called Coombes - who do that type of work for all the Lebanese guys in the trade...for around AUD40

 

[academe]

Perhaps because of my foot shape, I've had very little success with Ballys, because they are too narrow for my feet and the rear quarter of the shoes generally cut into my heel (ouch!). Also, the leather quality is hit and miss. One pair of Ballys that I've owned clearly weren't made for wet climates (e.g., the UK, tropical Asia, etc.), because the leather began to bubble as soon as they got wet (yikes!). I've never had this happen on any of my English-made shoes. I'd steer clear...

 

[kievmeister]

Hi, I'm a newbie poster so please be kind - former lurker. I just had to post I was just in the city today looking at shoes and a Prada bag similar to what PG has in a lot of his WAYW pics.

Originally Posted by sydneycentric

Saw some loafers that I really liked the look of in the Bally store, but just wondering about the quality of them? Priced at AUD 285 i thought it was fairly reasonable since they were marked down from around AUD 475. How would they stack up in terms of quality against a pair of Faconnable loafers?

I actually happened to pop into the Façonnable store on Elizabeth St in Sydney today and stopped to admire the colours of the loafers in the store. Didn't pick them up though as I've never associate Façonnable with shoes.

Originally Posted by yoshii

What else should i be looking at in that, $350ish, price range?
I'm in Melbourne, which may or may not limit options.
Have you considered RM Williams? Depending on the model chosen you can get them from AUD$250-$300 with the sales at the moment. Or alternately you could look at custom made starting from $360. I have only had one since 2000 and it has worn very well all this time. I'm not sure about Melbourne but around September this last few years Ferragamo have been having sales at Paddington Town Hall - I picked up a pair of Tusco which were retailing for AUD$1225 for AUD$450. DJs has 40% of on a good range of shoes as well.

Originally Posted by meister

If you buy reasonable cemented Ballys or Lloyds the option is always to have them Blake stitched (Italian style stitch down ) at the Strand shoe repairers called Coombes - who do that type of work for all the Lebanese guys in the trade...for around AUD40
They seem to do a pretty good job. I have used them these last three to four years.

 

[Holdfast]

Originally Posted by academe

Perhaps because of my foot shape, I've had very little success with Ballys, because they are too narrow for my feet and the rear quarter of the shoes generally cut into my heel (ouch!)...

+1 on the bolded bit. I bought a pair of Bally boat shoes to wear sans-socks last summer that played merry hell with the back of my ankle. I had to add some soft padding so that I could wear them. Maybe I just have soft skin but damn, it hurt!

 

[lizmasc]

I picked up a pair of Tusco which were retailing for AUD$1225 for AUD$450. DJs has 40% of on a good range of shoes as well.

Hi, and welcome to styleforum. That's one cool deal you got there though I've never had a pair of those

 

[laphroaig]

Originally Posted by meister

If you buy reasonable cemented Ballys or Lloyds the option is always to have them Blake stitched (Italian style stitch down ) at the Strand shoe repairers called Coombes - who do that type of work for all the Lebanese guys in the trade...for around AUD40
Do you happen to know which replacement heel Coombes use when reheeling? Do they use the typical red-dot topy heels most others seem to be using?

 

[ThinkDerm]

double monk scribes, reduced from $500 to $169 at phipps mall in ATL - great shoes - they only have one pair left of the double monks size "uk 10.5" which are also marked "us 11.5" - they are beauties, in dark brown, but fit like a us "12 to 12.5"

I have owned other bally shoes in uk "10.5" which were tight previously, so I dont know what's up with their sizing issue, but great shoes regardless. They also have single monks in dark brown size 8 or so.

 

[yoshii]

Originally Posted by meister

If you buy reasonable cemented Ballys or Lloyds the option is always to have them Blake stitched (Italian style stitch down ) at the Strand shoe repairers called Coombes - who do that type of work for all the Lebanese guys in the trade...for around AUD40

Unfortunately i'm in Melbourne, and a quick google revealed the Coombes place to be in Sydney.

Originally Posted by kievmeister

Have you considered RM Williams? Depending on the model chosen you can get them from AUD$250-$300 with the sales at the moment. Or alternately you could look at custom made starting from $360. I have only had one since 2000 and it has worn very well all this time. I'm not sure about Melbourne but around September this last few years Ferragamo have been having sales at Paddington Town Hall - I picked up a pair of Tusco which were retailing for AUD$1225 for AUD$450. DJs has 40% of on a good range of shoes as well.

Yeah i've had a look at RM Williams a couple months back, before sales, but there was nothing i liked there style wise, same as DJs. Not really a large range of boots around anymore so may need to wait until winter.
Might have a look at Ferragamo next week, although doubt i'll come across a deal as good as yours, and will probably have another look at the Bally's.
Seems as though Bally isn't very highly rated around here, for the prices they're charging.

 

[kievmeister]

Originally Posted by lizmasc

I picked up a pair of Tusco which were retailing for AUD$1225 for AUD$450. DJs has 40% of on a good range of shoes as well.

Hi, and welcome to styleforum. That's one cool deal you got there though I've never had a pair of those

Thanks for the welcome. I first saw the Tusco's in the Ferragamo store around Dec'06 but missed the opportunity to buy them. I didn't have to think twice when I saw a perfect 11EEE in black at the Ferragamo clearance last Sept - the price was a bonus.

Originally Posted by yoshii

Unfortunately i'm in Melbourne, and a quick google revealed the Coombes place to be in Sydney.
Might have a look at Ferragamo next week, although doubt i'll come across a deal as good as yours, and will probably have another look at the Bally's.
Seems as though Bally isn't very highly rated around here, for the prices they're charging.

Yeah unfortunately Coombes is in the Strand Arcade in Sydney. I actually stumbled upon them by asking around the retailers in the city. When a number of them pointed to Coombes I decided to give them a try and it worked out.

You may have to wait until Autumn or so before we start seeing boots again. I got to get a peek at the catalogue of boots coming to Ferragamo this year and wasn't too impressed so I wouldn't hold my breath. I would love to move on to some of the beautiful shoes/boots I see around SF but don't know where to find them around Sydney. Anyway, I'll be reading and learning along with a whole bunch of you.

 

[sydneycentric]

Originally Posted by kievmeister

I actually happened to pop into the Façonnable store on Elizabeth St in Sydney today and stopped to admire the colours of the loafers in the store. Didn't pick them up though as I've never associate Façonnable with shoes.

Tell me more.....what did you think of Façonnable as a quality brand compared to Bally?