What could
have turned out to be hippie-dippie-boho nonsense in other hands was a
resounding success for Clare Waight Keller, the creative director of Chloé.
There was something no-nonsense about the Spring collection: pretty yet
precise, elegant but not excessive, practical rather than pouty. There were
simply great silhouettes that spoke for themselves and concentrated on their
proportions—styling was stripped-back, clean, chic, and worked to emphasize the
quality of the collection, as did the spot-on casting of the models.
As Waight
Keller herself put it: "The starting point was fabrics that tell stories,
particularly 'folkloric' textiles like the encrusted birds in cheesecloth, but
I wanted honest, direct shapes. I liked the idea of denim, that it can be used
raw or washed and it becomes personal to the wearer—it is immediate and honest.
I wanted to have an idea of workwear as well as the flou, which was about
volume and expanded from that densely packed fabric, crepon georgette. I wanted
that one amazing shape that just hung off thin spaghetti straps."
The
designer has always looked slightly more at home with the Fall collection, but
that tougher and rougher attitude supplanted last Spring's style and worked
very well. So tailoring was made in lace or was ring-pierced, there were
denim-washed knits like the standout voluminous hoodie and precise powdered
suedes, while a workwear element ran through much of the collection, balancing out
anything too "wafty" or what might once have appeared cloyingly
winsome. Even the sandals were not the usual fare, but slightly wedged and
beautifully done.
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