After her second fashion show for Chloé, Chemena Kamali hosted a candlelit dinner in the luxurious Proustian atmosphere of Paris’s Lapérouse restaurant, where she was warmly greeted by editors and friends. Since 1766, its intimate salons have been a lavish entertainment venue where prostitutes entertained wealthy aristocratic clients. Legend has it that in a salon called Le Senatur, hidden behind a door with a secret passage, women would engrave their signatures on mirrors to test the authenticity of diamonds they received as gifts.
“I love that it’s a classic Parisian show!” Kamali said. “It’s a very cozy and sentimental place with a rich history, but even today it’s a place people love to visit. I love this combination of past and present and find it important to bring families together in an intimate and personal way.”
The bohemian and romantic vibe is a perfect fit for Kamali’s vision for Chloé, and her fabulous personal style deeply influences the collections she designs. However, there are also some charismatic women who have inspired her throughout her creative journey: “Chloé founder Gaby Aghion wanted to encourage women to take risks, empower them and give them freedom. Chloé’s DNA features a strong sense of femininity – I feel like that’s the feeling of femininity for me, the women associated with Chloé represent freedom, I think what they like is that Chloé doesn’t turn them into someone else;
Chloé is fast becoming a popular brand for girls who embrace bohemian style and modern nostalgia, with Sienna Miller being one of its most loyal supporters; wearing a short, broad-shouldered black leather jacket, soft wide-legged pants and her famous platform clogs, she embodied every inch of Chloé’s cool image, and she had nothing but praise for Kamali.
“I’ve always loved Chloé; ever since I first saw it through Stella & Phoebe, it represents everything I love to wear. I used to save money and buy their pieces – I’d just go ‘I still wear the green shoes with chains’ with them. “The spirit of the brand has always resonated with my style, but I left it for a while. Last season, I was invited back and felt like I’d seen everything in the fashion world,” she said, adding that she loved every part of the spring show.
She was particularly drawn to the bloomers and romantic lace white lingerie she wore at the start of the show. “I’ve actually been looking for vintage French lingerie all summer; just last week I found 70s bloomers and a matching white top at a market in the UK, and I saw similar lingerie on the spring runway stuff too,” she recalled. “Chloé is feminine without being too cute. Although I’ve been moving away from bohemian style for a while, I think what Chemena has done with Chloé really reflects the essence of what I want to wear, love it – it’s refreshing to reconnect with it.”
Kamali brings a sense of romance to Chloe that goes hand in hand with strength. “There are paradoxes and contradictions in everything, especially in women’s lives,” Kamali told Esquire. “There are moments when you feel confident and powerful, there are moments when you feel more vulnerable and tender; all these opposites naturally live together. I was really inspired. We go through different stages of life, and dressing up is a matter of self-discovery. Part.
Guests enjoyed the delicious Laperouse Michelin-starred French menu, including succulent Chateaubriand steak with fries or sea bream, served with creamy mashed potatoes. The champagne is clearly flowing. Everyone is in a good mood. Karlie Kloss chatted with Pat Cleveland, who attended with her daughter Anna. The lensman team was represented by David Sims, Mario Sorrenti and Inez van Lamsweerde; Vinoodh Matadin had an in-depth conversation with Creative Director Ferdinando Verdery; models Jessica Miller and Taylor Hill, French actor Rebecca Dayan and French designer Jean Dumas both looked like the epitome of Chloé cool.
