Get out your brown suede bag and flares – the Chloé look is back
Of all the dates on the calendar, it feels fitting that the Chloé show fell on leap day, 29 February, whose rarity always makes it feel highly charged. According to astrologists, the Sun and Saturn united in Aquarius that day, creating a potent energy and a profound shift. It certainly did.
While it’s too early to say what effects this leap year will have on our lives, we already know it’s going to have a big effect on our wardrobes – the Chloé Effect, to be precise.
Arriving at the Chloé show in Paris to see the first collection designed by its new creative director, Chemena Kamali, the excitement was palpable. Jerry Hall and her daughter Georgia May Jagger arrived arm in arm, as did model Pat Cleveland and her model daughter Anna.
They were joined by actresses Kiernan Shipka, Clémence Poésy, Kathryn Newton and Marisa Abela, star of the new Amy Winehouse film Back to Black. Oh, and Sienna Miller, the original boho girl whose noughties love affair with tiered skirts and cowboy boots spawned a new movement.
Hold that thought – for it’s about to happen all over again. Miller’s front-row look, a white slip skirt edged with lace and offset with an oversized black leather jacket, was a taster of what was revealed on the catwalk – a cornucopia of boho ruffles, desirable denim and leather accessories with ‘waiting list’ written all over them. The collection was titled ‘Intuition’ – the perfect name for a runway groaning with clothes that seemed to intuit what women want to wear.
![A runway success: Chloé’s creative director Chemena Kamali and the star-studded Paris audience in February](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/16/13/83703335-13309795-image-a-224_1713269930327.jpg)
A runway success: Chloé’s creative director Chemena Kamali and the star-studded Paris audience in February
Kamali might be new to the job, but there was no sign of ‘first collection nerves’ on the catwalk. That’s likely because, while it was her debut as creative director, it wasn’t her debut at the house. In fact, the 42-year-old German-Parisian worked there as a junior designer in the early 2000s, returning to design under Clare Waight Keller a decade later. Which explains why the collection was a joyful throwback to Chloé’s heydays – plural, for in its 72-year history, it’s certainly had more than one.
There were references to the late Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure in the 1970s, but also nods to Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo. In 1997, McCartney became head of Chloé aged just 25. When she launched her own label, her former course-mate and best friend, Philo, took over in 2001. Both women imbued Chloé with a sense of humour, staying true to its romantic roots but adding a modern edge.
While the Chloé woman has had many incarnations, it’s this version that’s held in highest esteem by fans. Ask a Chloé acolyte to name their go-to look, and it will likely be a white lace blouse tucked into bootcut jeans worn with a brown leather belt and brown boots or sandals. It’s hard to pin down the appeal of this look, but in baking terms it’s the perfect ratio of salt and sweet.
![Pretty meets casual: a marriage made in Chloé heaven](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/16/13/83703341-13309795-image-a-226_1713270061836.jpg)
Pretty meets casual: a marriage made in Chloé heaven
It’s casual enough for brunch, dressy enough for drinks and, with the right blazer and footwear, suitable for the office. In short, it’s a dream distillation of the sort of easy, everyday pieces that women can spend a lifetime looking for, but never find.
The new Chloé collection had a high concentration of such garments, from the ideal checked winter coat to the dream satin slip dress. Yes, some of the looks were challenging – granny
pants worn with thigh boots; transparent chiffon gowns – but catwalk shows are always styled with social media in mind. In real life, the thigh boots will be worn with a maxi skirt; the chiffon gowns with a camisole. Tone down the styling and the collection was a commercial hit.
That’s why the Chloé Effect will be far-reaching: the show was so persuasive that the high street has already been inspired by it. Of the thousands of shows that make up New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, only a handful will be game-changers. The international ready-to-wear calendar is like a glamorous form of roulette: when it comes to hitting the fashion jackpot, you can never know where the ball will land. Sure, you can predict that banner names such as Prada and Chanel will have an influence, but even these brands don’t always move the dial.
The Chloé show will. The good news for those who love it but can’t afford its high prices – a leather handbag costs in excess of £1,000, while even jeans cost £900 – is that the trickle-down effect means the high street will have its fair share of homages. Expect to see white lace or broderie-anglaise blouses aplenty, as well as flared jeans, platform clogs, ruffled shirts, thigh boots, slip dresses, boho bags and coin necklaces.
Chair of My Wardrobe HQ Jane Shepherdson says: ‘Most women would love to look as insouciant as a Chloé model gliding down the catwalk. Plus, bold necklaces, metal hip belts and slouchy leather bags can easily update an existing look. They’re friendly items; this isn’t a scary trend.’
While the clothes were covetable, equally persuasive is Kamali herself. Taking a post-show bow in a caramel-coloured shirt and frayed bell-bottoms, it was clear she embodied the Chloé woman. She’s its modern iteration: a working mum who juggles career and childcare and knows how important it is to have a wardrobe that works, even when you’re time-pressed and don’t have brain space to figure out what goes with what.
When her young son (she has two) ran on to the catwalk to hug her it was a lovely moment that will have felt very relatable to her customers. Kamali deserves all the hugs. But plaudits should also go to Chloé’s parent company, Richemont, for staying true to the label’s legacy. Founded in 1952 by Jewish-Egyptian emigrée Gaby Aghion, with the exception of Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure, Chloé has always been designed by women for women.
Since being acquired by Richemont in 1985, its creative directors have all been female, a fact that feels all the more meaningful when you consider that every luxury brand owned by Richemont’s rival Kering is helmed by a man. Of the many more that LVMH owns, only Christian Dior is run by a woman.
Obviously, women don’t require their clothes to be designed by other women, but a working mum is particularly well placed to know what other women want to wear. ‘Today, as a woman, you need to be able to follow your intuition and be yourself,’ Kamali said before her Paris show. ‘Chloé is about an intuitive way of dressing. Gaby Aghion wanted women to be able to move and go to work.’ Come autumn, we’ll never have looked more stylish as we go.
Get the look
Stephanie Sofokleous picks the high street’s Chloé-inspired hits