Vintage Bally Quilted Lambskin Bags


Bally may have had it's major moment in 2016 with their beautiful loafers, but for me there's nothing quite like Bally's vintage lambskin bags. Often compared with Chanel's classic quilting, Bally's quilting (as seen from the picture above) varies in terms of length across the area of the bag with much smaller diamonds near the middle of the bag and more elongated towards the end of the flap/edge of the bag. Bally's vintage lambskin quilting is as illustrious of the bag's origin, if not more, than Chanel's. Once you've come to known the Bally's lambskin quilting it's pretty much synonymous to the brand itself.

Though Bally may have been established since 1851 they didn't officially start making bags till 1976. (1) Prior to 1976 Bally made its name by making shoes - and it still is one of leaders for shoe wear in the fashion world - again, note the 2016 Bally loafers below:



 Brief Comparison to Chanel 
Back to the topic of Bally quilted lambskin bags, in particular it's double flaps which are often compared to Chanel's classic double flap bags - I have noticed that Bally lambskin bags tend to age better than Chanel quilted lambskin bags. I have a few postulations for this, none of them proven, but it's still fun to hypothesize 😁 One, the quilting is, as stated previously, of a much smaller size which means the reduction of puffiness (a common phenomenon of Chanel bags) of quilting is much reduced since the quilting of Bally bags tend to be relatively flat to begin with. Two, Bally does not seemed to have made quilted lambskin bags till the 1980's (this was the earliest date I found online), whereas the classic Chanel lambskin flaps have been introduced in 1955 (2). The difference of 25 years might account for how some of the vintage Chanel lambskin classic flaps look worse. In any case, I find the Bally quilted lambskin flap bags and Chanel classic flaps as classic pieces that will stand the test of time.

The pricing of both bags vary drastically, whereas Chanel bags tend to range above $10K HKD (so around $1,274 USD), a decent Bally quilted lambskin bags tend to range between $1000-$3000 HKD ($127-382 USD). For this reason, people may sometimes view Bally's double flap bag to be good quality substitute for Chanel's classic flap bag. I personally love both styles of bag - the lambskin of Bally bags is buttery soft and so smooth to touch, it's one of those materials that you want to keep patting non-stop. I honestly think that one should have a feel (as weird as that sounds) of Bally's lambskin in order to truly understand my obsession with this material. The Chanel classic flaps on the other hand, has the brand name value attached, it is also a classic design and is versatile, whereby it can be both a casual or formal bag.

Straps
When it comes to the strap of Bally bags, there are a few different styles of straps that have been adopted by Bally for their quilted lambskin bags. Below I'll show the one's that I have come across, however I should add this is an non-exhaustive list and there may be more different styles of strap that I am unaware of.


Photos from:


Variation of Locks and Logos
Below, again, is a non-exhaustive list of the locks and logos that Bally have adopted on their quilted lambskin bags before:

Photos from left to right: 

Signature Styles
I believe that their double flap/single flap bags are their among their most popular vintage design within the market. And without further ado, let's dive right into the three styles of flap bags that are the most classic in my opinion:

Bally Double Flap Bag


Measuring 9" x 5.5 x 2.5 (23 x 14.5 x 6) with 4 compartments - two in between the first and second flap, along with a zip pocket, and two after the two flaps - the Bally Double Flap Bag looks a lot like the Chanel Classic Double Flap bag in design but has roomier compartments. I'm unsure if the second flap provide the same function as it's Chanel twin - namely to retain the structure of the bag over time. Nonetheless traditional flap bags are just classy, structured bags so I have no complaints for the appearance of the Bally bag. The bag can, likewise to it's Chanel twin, be worn cross-body or doubled up as a shoulder bag. The color combo above - burgundy with gold hardware is a very dreamy combo in my opinion. Equally gorgeous would the be double flap in beige and gold hardware. When it comes to Bally's double flaps, I do think that there's a range of colors that you could choose from (though nothing as extravagant as Chanel's classic flaps) so make sure to do some research of your own before buying!

Bally Flap Bag


Measuring  9.5" x 5.75" x 1.1" (24 x 14.5 x 3cm), with two compartments within the bag as well as a zipped pocket, the bag is a practical size. In comparison to the double flap this is designed to be worn as cross-body bag. Personally I like this style a little more purely on the fact that the design of the straps are more simple which doesn't take attention away from the bag itself. Again, I feel like this is just a very classic shape and I love it.

Bally Mini-flap Bag


Measuring 6.6" x 5.1" x 1.9" (17 x 13 x 5cm), with one compartment and a zipped pocket this bag is dinky and cute. Again, this bag appears to be designed in a way that can only be worn one way. Also the straps are attached to the side of the bag before being looped through the holes at the top f the bag which raises concerns about whether it would be a easily accessible when worn and opened with one hand. However, I do have a thing for small, boxy bags and this one looks cute on, added with the quality of the lamb leather, I would still think that this bag is worth buying if you're looking for a good quality small bag :D

Some Bally bags with quilted Lambskin
Below are some other bags that Bally made with their classic quilted lambskin but I don't think they're especially enticing so I won't be elaborating on them. However, I will include some pictures below just to cover my bases XD

Camera Bag
Photo from: Taobao 

Shell shaped Bag

Kelly Bag


Disclaimer:

  1. Above are some of the thoughts I have on the Ferragamo bags, I am however, not an expert and if you have differing opinions feel free to leave them below. The more info available the better after all :D 
  2. Pictures of bags included are all found on the internet and me posting them in no way guarantees their authenticity
  3. If you are the owner of some of the photos that I have used within the blog post and would like for me to taken them down, please message me and it will be done! Thank you :) 

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