The Chloé show in Paris paid tribute to the late, great Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld’s name may be synonymous with his long and illustrious career at Chanel and Fendi but in Paris today it was his time at the helm of Chloé that was honoured.
At the French fashion house’s latest showcase, the legacy of the late, great Lagerfeld - who’s career spanned not one but two stints at the brand, the first between 1963 an 1983, and again for five years from 1992 before handing the reigns to Stella McCartney - was remembered through tributes placed on every seat.
“Chloé pays deepest respect and gratitude to Karl Lagerfeld for the incredible genius he brought to us over his 25 years with the house,” it read. “His joyous capturing of the spirit of the Chloé woman is eternally treasured by us, and by everyone who felt the freedom and beauty of wearing his clothes.”
This heartfelt dedication was bound around a series of postcards documenting some of his most memorable images and quotations during his time there, including one taken from the February 1977 edition of Vogue Paris which read: “Discretion is the key word. My dresses are for women who go beyond the obvious. They’re made to transform everyday life into a fairytale, to create an atmosphere at every moment.”
Today the house of Chloé, under the charge of Parisian Natacha Ramsay-Levi, also sought to recall his ability to create clothes which are as beautiful as they are practical. From immaculately cut camel cape coats to neck-tie silk blouses teamed with utilitarian cargo pants, this was functional, uber-femininity at its finest.
Undoubtedly, the easy checked shirt dresses, zip-hem flared trousers and cool shearling coats were designed with the city-dweller at heart, but the spirit of freedom and adventure was laced into the very fabric of the collection too.
Trophy t-shirts emblazoned with the print of two hikers was among the most literal interpretation of Ramsay-Levi’s brand of wearable escapism, while looks laden with Talisman-style jewellery, from coral necklaces to shark tooth earrings, hinting at a woman well travelled.
Since joining the house in 2017 from Louis Vuitton, Ramsay-Levi has been busy carving out her own legacy - most notably through a series of It-bags which have served as her collection’s most covetable additions since her arrival.
Next season, horse hair informed the oversized clutches and harked back to the brand’s equestrian history, while its now iconic “C” logo bag re-emerged on the catwalk in sunset-ombré colours which are no doubt already on the top of wish lists for Chloé girls everywhere.
