by Chloé’s girlfriend is back. On and off the catwalk. “You’re the original Chloé girl,” the label’s new creative director, Chemena Kamali, told Jerry Hall backstage after the first show Thursday morning. Hall was a friend and muse of Karl Lagerfeld, who created Chloé’s flowing look during his tenure at the brand in the 1970s. It’s a look that still has the roots of the insouciant French girl outfit today.
For some time now, Chloé has moved away from the aesthetic she was known for – most recently with Gabriela Hearst, the Uruguayan-American designer who is better known for spending her time in sustainable fashion than creating clothes for Parisiennes careless. 42-year-old German-born Kamali was appointed in October last year and could be on her way, as Chloé has already had two stints in her career – the first time she had during her last days when Phoebe Philo was creative director in the early days. .
This collection had a worn, effortless feel that has become the holy grail of fashion, but with a softer and brighter tinge than the mannish tailoring that is usually offered as a solution to modern style. Kamali hails from Saint Laurent, where there was a parade of pencil skirts and nappies on the catwalk earlier this week. Nappies were still here too (can we call it a trend? Will anyone be baring their nappies in the name of fashion or is it a symptom of the awkwardness of wearing a bra?) but the vibe wasn’t quite the same. sexual, more sensible.
Tiered capes and maxi dresses made their way down the runway, sometimes given a tougher twist with a structured cape or broad-shouldered coat, reminiscent of vintage styles the models might have borrowed from their mothers’ wardrobes. The jeans – patchwork, bleached flares and wide legs – could be pilfered from Stevie Nicks. Kamali, who sports ultra-long, wavy Chloé-girl hair, wore a pair of trainers as she took her bow.
She’s also a blouse obsessive, admitting recently to owning between 600 and 700, and it showed: dramatic fluted sleeves peaked out from under neat herringbone jackets, and there was gorgeous white lace; other colors such as putty, taupe and dusky pink came which would be kind to almost any skin tone. There was also a lot of fringing on supersoft leather jackets and half leather, half chiffon trousers.
“I would love to bring back the feelings I had when I fell in love with Chloé more than 20 years ago,” Kamali said after the show. “It’s a collection that is ultimately about the intuition and freedom and energy of women. I would love women to feel that because I feel it. I also designed this collection for the late 1970s, Chloé’s era when it was all about natural femininity and a sensuality that was effortless, but also powerful.”
Refreshingly, their bag offering ranged from tiny party favors to huge carry-the-kitchen-sink hobos. She also intends for the bags to be the kind that “look better over time” and are not “precious objects… you can put them down on the floor”. Bags, then, for real life, not just for social media situations. Shoe-wise, anything goes clog or like a Scholl, as does a tighter ballerina with gold discs and ankle straps. You couldn’t miss the belts either, featuring Chloé handwritten across the waist.
If you need any guidance on how to be Chloé’s girlfriend now, just watch her in all her glory on Thursday’s show, as Halla and her daughter Georgia May Jagger share a laugh with fellow mother-daughter duo Pat and Anna Cleveland. Sienna Miller paired an oversized leather jacket with a delicate white dress and wooden platforms on the front row, while older (and cooler for it) models like Georgina Grenville, 48, and Doutzen Kroes, 39, slayed on the catwalk in dresses diaphanous and kick-ass boots with heels.
More from the show…
