Chloé News Flash: Attitudes The Very First Exhibition Dedicated to Chloé

Sandra-Suy,-Clare-Waight-Keller’s-First-Chloe-Collection,-Spring-Summer-2012

 Ever wonder about the story behind the house of Chloé?  This September in time for Paris Fashion week until November, lovers of the line will get to take a look with the very first exhibition dedicated to Chloé, a celebration of the Maison’s 60-year contribution to fashion culture. Since 1952, its legacy of luxury prêt-à-porter clothing has consistently defined how modern women live. This spectacular and groundbreaking exhibition offers a playful interpretation of the Chloé spirit that spans seven decades.  What can we say about the line I am a totally addicted to Chloé ! The exhibition features signature pieces from each of Chloé’s nine key designers – from the Maison’s progressive founder Gaby Aghion, to its present creative director Clare Waight Keller – the show is neither nostalgic nor chronological. It takes a thematic path through the very best of Chloé’s creativity, pausing at key moments within its history.

Portrait of Gaby Aghion by Raymond Aghion

The exhibition paints a picture of Chloé that is both familiar and yet unexpected. Iconic looks are presented alongside lesser-known yet equally influential designs. Many of these were rediscovered during the creation of the new archive developed since Waight Keller’s arrival. These moments in history for Chloé are on display to the public for the very first time. The exhibition is curated and designed by renowned exhibition-maker Judith Clark and staged in the newly refurbished galleries of Le Palais de Tokyo. The center’s exhibition space was expanded from 8,000 to 22,000 square meters in 2012, making it one of the largest cultural institutions devoted to contemporary culture in Europe. Chloé. Attitudes has been invited by the president of the palais, Jean de Loisy to inaugurate a cycle of exhibitions entitled “Fashion Program”, organized by ESTIMATED curators, celebrating key moments or outstanding figures in fashion history. The Chloé exhibition is presented as part of the autumn 2012 season of the Palais de Tokyo “imagine the imaginary” which explores the artist’s creative process from thought to creation. This theme is at the very heart of the Chloé. Attitudes concept. The exhibition presents the way in which la Maison Chloé has created an identifiable aesthetic and allure that has influenced women’s fashion. It is this ceaseless renewal of the imaginary that transforms the sensitivity of an era. The programme is a fitting context for a 60th anniversary of Chloé that celebrates modern femininity. The gallery’s rough, concrete walls are the perfect foil for the sensual showcase inside.

 

Judith Clark, Preparatory Sketches Chloe. Attitudes

This is a fashionistas must see exhibit on the last leg of fashion week next season.  If you love Chloé like we do, it  is a must see exhibition to check out if you are in Paris from 29 September – 18 November 2012. The exhibit focusing equally on Chloé’s key designers and the Maison’s enduring themes, garment groupings serve to underscore Gaby Aghion’s original vision for the brand. The show encapsulates Aghion’s ambition to create an informal, stylish wardrobe for women who were no longer constrained by haute couture and its indoor lifestyle. This philosophy culminated in her first informal fashion show at the Café de Flore on Paris’s Left Bank in 1956.  This is the perfect opportunity to learn the history of Chloé and understand how refreshing it is to have female designers design for women.  Think about it, there are not too many female designers out there. Visitors to the exhibition are also invited to consider these radical ideas from the perspectives of the celebrated designers under Aghion’s art direction: Gérard Pipart, Maxime de La Falaise, Karl Lagerfeld, Martine Sitbon, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Hannah MacGibbon and Clare Waight Keller. Is it just a co-insistence that the house has had only one male designer at the helm?

Guy Bourdin, Vogue France, February 1979 – Copyright The Estate of Guy Bourdin – Reproduced by Permission of Art + Commerce

Antonio Lopez, Karl Lagerfeld For Chloe, Spring-Summer 1983

To mark the 60th anniversary celebrations, Chloé is re-issuing 16 of the archive’s most iconic pieces. Both present in the exhibition and available in Chloé boutiques from February 2013, the édition Anniversaire includes items such as Karl Lagerfeld’s Violin Dress of Spring/Summer 1983, Stella McCartney’s pineapple T-shirt of Spring/Summer 2001, the Paddington Bag introduced by Phoebe Philo in Spring/Summer 2005 and the cape and leather shorts by Hannah MacGibbon of Autumn/Winter 2009. Spanning from 1960 –2009,  this anniversary collection  incorporates   seven  accessory pieces and two limited editions of just 60 copies. The earliest re-edition holds special significance in the context of the exhibition. Taking its enigmatic name from Gaby Aghion’s simple jersey dress of Autumn/Winter 1960, “Embrun” not only means sea spray, it also typifies the independent spirit of the modern Chloé woman. Start paying that credit card bill now ladies Chloé is waiting for you in Paris and worldwide boutiques, these are definite keepers.  Your chance to get another piece of  Stella McCartney’s pineapple T-shirt of Spring/Summer 2001! 

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