LETTER

Dear fashion fans,

Bally1
One.
DRINKS

Quick flashback to last Saturday in Milan, where we cocktailed with BALLY and a fun group of guests to celebrate BALLY’s new collection for Spring and Summer 2026. See our post about it, here. ■ Guests included the very handsome MERGIM SHABANI whose hot red polo shirt has all it takes to go viral. Colleague KK OBI said he’d just sent the 10th issue of his magazine ‘Boy.Brother.Friend’ to print and hinted at a story by none other than SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON and STEFANO PILATI, out soon. Photographer DARIO SALAMONE recommended ‘Watermark’, a great old short book by JOSEPH BRODSKY about the city of Venice (we love a genuine book tip) and designer/legend ITALO ZUCCHELLI happened to be in town too – what’s he up to next?

GN
Two.
GARRETT NEFF

As promised, our short and quick interview with model GARRETT NEFF, who we featured in Fantastic Man 12 years ago sporting a pair of white CALVIN briefs (and holding the packaging of said briefs for which GARRETT was the body model). In BALLY’s new teaser campaign, he’s again in little else but white underwear and a pair of shoes.
■ Q: Does it feel nicely familiar to you, posing in underwear?
GARRETT: “It does. It’s a bit of a recurring theme in my modelling career, going back 20 years. I feel honoured every time I get the call for something like this, so keep ‘em coming.”
■ Q: I believe you’re a big tennis fan?
G: “Huge tennis fan. I’ve played tennis all my life, leading up to and during University for the varsity team. Actually, the only reason I stopped playing quite as much after I started modelling was because KARL LAGERFELD told me very early on, that “GARRETT, you know, you have to be careful because tennis isn't great for symmetry.” Being new to the fashion world back in 2005, when KARL gave me this advice, I thought I’d better not risk it and took it to heart.
■ Q: What do you wear on the tennis court? Does the idea of dazzling or distracting your opponent through what you wear cross your mind?
G: “All is fair in love and tennis. If you can get in your opponents head a bit based on what you wear or what your gear is, then I say go for it. I went to the Bollettieri Tennis Academy (IMG Academy now) back in high school. We’d play 7 hours a day. And when I would come back for my high school and USTA tournament matches you know damn well I’d let people know I trained there to get in their heads. T-shirt, hand towel, socks…whatever I could do to tip the scales in my direction.”
■ Q: What are you most busy with at the moment?

G: “I bought an old 1802 farmhouse which keeps me very busy between shoots. The garden is a full time job. It’s healthy fun. Lots of renovations coming up in addition to keeping the gardens looking great. Should I start a YouTube channel?”

Video
Three.
VINTAGE VIDEO

Our correspondent GIJS VEENING found this fabulous video of some proper BALLY love. ■ He reports: New Orleans is not the first place you think of when you think of BALLY. To many New Orleanians however, BALLY sneakers are a fond part of their memories of the ’90s. The brand was so popular there at the time that stores would sell out of BALLY sneakers on a regular basis, and they’d have to relocate stock from different cities to keep up with demand. ‘Putcha Ballys On’, a local hit song by BUST DOWN skyrocketed the footwear's popularity. It wasn’t about a specific model, like most hypes in footwear; BALLY was just everywhere in New Orleans. ■ This 40-minute documentary recalls the fascinating romance the brand and the city had. Look out for HOLLYGROVE STUNNA’s infectious smile!

Bally2
Four.
CLOTHES

Check out our Instapost with photographer BILLY BALLARD’s impressions of the SS26 BALLY collection. We love the cream super-chucky knit rollneck, the tennis shoes (of course), the foxy cross-body bags, the terry cloth tops, the tennis ball prints, the pristinity of it all.

Mania
Five.
BYE

That’s it! Thanks to BALLY and its Milan team, and greetings from Paris, i.e. part two of fashion week. If you’re in town this coming Saturday, please swing by for the launch of DROP BOOKS, our new imprint: JOP VAN BENNEKOM made a book called ‘MANIA’ with BRUNO STAUB and JULIAN GANIO. Details:

 

Saturday June 28, from 5pm

9 Rue des Arquebusiers

75003 Paris

Love,

 

Gert Jonkers

editor in chief

 

@MANFANTASTIC
FANTASTICMAN.COM

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