Chloé Attitudes.
The very first exhibition dedicated to Chloé, hosted at my absolute favorite museum in Paris, Palais de Tokyo.
I was in Paris with some (best) friends and after a quite intens shopping inspiration marathon, we needed our shot of culture. Yes, there was Chanel’s Little Black Jacket exhibit (http://thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com/en_GB/home) but we went for a more surprising hidden pearl, we hoped.
And, I must admit, Chloë was not quite on my shortlist of most loved designers ( McQueen is, Ann Demeulemeester, Balmain, Givenchy and Haider Ackerman are too), but as I always look for new stories, this promised to be one.
This celebration of the Chloë Maison’s 60-year(!) contribution to fashion culture was more than a new story. For me it was a travel into time, a plunge back into fashion memory lane and a true revelation.
The Chloé spirit found it’s home in a great new space at ‘the palais’ and was curated and designed by renowned exhibition-maker Judith Clark
Since 1952, Chloë’s legacy of luxury prêt-à-porter clothing is one of radical choices, informal but very stylish collections with strangely over the 7 decades, a great love for the female body and spirit and loads of humor.
 |
 Drawings by Kaiser Karl himself for Chloë. |
Showing signature pieces in eye-high boxes on Chloé’s nine key designers – from the Maison’s progressive founder Gaby Aghion, through Gérard Pipart, Maxime de La Falaise, Karl Lagerfeld, Martine Sitbon, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo and Hannah MacGibbon to its present creative director Clare Waight Keller – the show is neither nostalgic nor chronological, what is truly refreshing.
Iconic fashion photographs by my heroes Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Jeanloup Sieff, David Bailey and off course by the fab couple Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin completed for me a perfect afternoon, full of beauty, strong statements (the hair of different model passages!!) and great inspiration.
For the ones who missed it (sorry, exhibit has closed it’s doors), here are some images that flash you back in time, and let you re-live the magic and beauty of one of thé iconic couture brands of the twentieth century. Enjoy.
http://www.palaisdetokyo.com