Lou Stoppard: Chloe Catwalk: The Complete Collections

The brilliance of the house of Chloé is on full view in this panorama of catwalk photography, celebrating the brand’s seventy years of collections by leading designers including founder Gaby Aghion, Karl Lagerfeld, Phoebe Philo, and Stella McCartney This in-depth publication celebrates the glamor and sophistication of the house of Chloé. The book’s chapters follow the development of the collections themselves, beginning with those created by founder Gaby Aghion and by Karl Lagerfeld, who helped Chloé become one of the most iconic brands of the 1970s. Each era in Chloé’s history opens with a brief biography of the lead designer, while individual collections are introduced by a short text unveiling their influences and highlights and are illustrated with carefully curated catwalk images. Born in 1921 in Alexandria, Egypt, Aghion moved to Paris in 1945 and founded Chloé in 1952, offering luxury ready-to-wear, a new concept at the time. The house dressed stellar clients such as Jacqueline Kennedy, Brigitte Bardot, and Grace Kelly. The line eventually grew to include bags, small leather goods, and shoes; Chloé’s 2005 Paddington bag designed by Phoebe Philo was one of the first ever “It” bags. The house’s contemporary celebrity clients include Marion Cotillard, Sienna Miller, Madonna, January Jones, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone, and Katie Holmes.