I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t love Chloé. The brand is known for their beautiful feminine pieces that always have a fun twist on lady-like basics. The Spring 2014 collection shown this weekend during Paris Fashion Week, was a little classic Chloé and a little Project Runway. (Not in a good way.) It is all about layers, balance, underlying sensuality and making it work.
The entire collection is done in earthy tones—khakis, whites, olive greens and blues in light flowing fabrics that go well together. Thin, sheer textiles keep everything looking simple and easy for spring, even with some of the darker green and navy colors.
The pairing of sharp jackets with loosely tailored pants helped balance the pieces. The styling was casual and fun, but still had the shape and structure to keep us looking chic instead of sloppy. My favorite look on the runway was a little cropped black jacket with loose, patterned ankle pants.
What is probably best about the collection is its ability to give off a sense of underlying sexuality without crop-tops, anything too sheer or any models flashing the audience (I’m looking at you Versace). “I think it’s about a sensuality, it’s about a movement, a fabric, a fluidity that’s really modern,” Clare Waight Keller, the creative director of Chloé, said of the collection.
Some pieces, however, go a little overboard when it comes to fluidity. A few jackets, pants and even shorts have extra pieces of material just hanging off them as if this will add to this idea of motion. And while some did look beautifully done, others looked as if they hadn’t been quite finished before being sent down the runway.
Other pieces have loose fabric tied into shirts or large knots that look like a horrible Project Runway attempt. Like they had an idea forming and at the last minute scraped it and started frantically tying knots while Tim Gunn loomed nearby telling them to “Make it work!”
But aside from the ties and strange hanging fabric, the collection is a wonderful blend of structure and flowing femininity. It is sexy and playful while looking effortless in the process. It is overall a successful collection— I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see those knotted dresses.