“COMING back to Chloé feels very natural; almost like returning home for a new beginning” is the opening line of Chemena Kamali’s show notes for her debut collection for Chloé.
Making her first marks on this new era for the House began with the logo tweak earlier this year, finding inspiration in Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure. Now, it was time for the designer to present her first array of designs for autumn-winter 2024.
Unlike the other brands in the French capital, there has always been something free-spirited and warm about the Chloé woman and this is exactly what Kamali wanted to focus on. “I want to feel her presence again; her beat, her natural beauty, her sense of freedom and undone-ness,” she explains. “The glow, the radiance and the energy of that girl. She is real. She is herself”.
Hoping to define this vision of her, Kamali dove into the archives finding inspiration in the clothes of the late 1970s – an era renowned for its focus on natural beauty, love and hippie culture.
Wanting to focus on this idea of ‘freedom’, silhouettes weren’t restricted and paraded down the runway with oodles of fluidity and movement, with fringes part of belted leather jackets, ankle-length chiffon dresses paired with matching capes and lace dresses were designed with tiered ruffles.
Accessories came in thick and fast, from exploding proportions of a shoulder bag that could probably fit someone in it, pink lensed Aviator sunglasses and a logo chain belt in gold worthy of elevating any outfit.
What was obvious was Kamali’s wish to reflect founder Gaby Aghion’s idea of a liberated woman – with looks worthy of a modern adventure. Finishing her notes with she wrote, “Chloé lets you be yourself; it doesn’t transform you. Follow your intuition”. And if that’s anything to go by, it’s time to grab some make-up wipes, take your hair out of a ponytail and get out the door.
by Imogen Clark