Question about bally

[Stu]

I own a pair of Bally loafers and just love them. The craftsmanship and fit are superb. They are made in Italy. Today I was at a closeout store and saw a pair of Swiss-made chocolate-colored Bally cap toes. They were $69, which seems like a hell of a deal. Is it? And are the Ballys made in Switzerland on a par with those made in Italy? Anyone?

 

[LA Guy]

Bally is undergoing restructuring, and closing a lot of their stores, hence a lot of their shoes going to closeout. I have one pair of Bally's (monkstraps), and I like the styling; but I thought that the workmanship and durability left something to be desired, compared to say, Prada or Donna Karan Signature (they used to be sold at Saks, but I haven't seen them around lately. Maybe something to do with the repositioning of the DK brands).

As to where the shoes are made, Bally is a Swiss company, so it's hardly surprising that a lot of their shoes are made there, and their quality control is probably similar between factories.

 

[bengal-stripe]

I don't want to give any opinion about these particular shoes, but in general, the better and more expensive ranges in the Bally collection are Swiss made (with "Bally Scribe" as the absolute top), while the other ranges are Italian made. If those Swiss shoes are better than your Italian ones I don't know; but they certainly are not of lesser quality.

 

[Stu]

Bengal-Stripe: Does $69 sound obscenely cheap? I figure a pair of Bally dress shoes would cost at least $200.

 

[bengal-stripe]

Stu: If you like the style and if you got the money, buy the shoes. Bally have a number of ranges at different prices and of course some are better than others, but none will be cheap and nasty rubbish.

And even, if you should have a problem, Bally has been around for a 120 or more years, they will deal with a justified complaint in a proper manner.