Chloe SS 2012 Review

Well Hannah MacGibbon sadly got the boot from the director's chair and former Pringle Of Scotland designer Clare Waight Keller jumped right in and had a go at cracking the reins. And she did well.
"Fluidity and femininity, but boyish" is how Keller summed up the collection and that's exactly what she gave us. There were sort of Swiss dot lace shirts, low slung dresses and skirts with thick leather belts that I'm not sure were needed. The embroidered florals were a design lifted from Karl Lagerfeld's tenure which I thought was quite a bold move and I like that she cherry picked bits and pieces like that from a past designer because there's a nice history of great designers who've worked at Chloe.

Like Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo before her, Keller is selling the same dream. The Chloe girl is a care free, tomboyish character who'll always look back fondly at the 70's. If anything, Keller is dipping her toes and treading lightly across the Chloe DNA.

It's a solid collection but for a debut it doesn't scream at you and the Chloe girl never screams but Keller will have to work her way around that otherwise she'll end up in designer purgatory like MacGibbon and Paulo Melim Andersson.

Just How bad was Hannah Macgibbon’s last collection?

Hannah Macgibbon, head designer of Chloé has just had her contract renewed...for one more season. Chloé CEO Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye said “Hannah is still with us, that’s all I can say.” That’s all you can say! Mee-ow Geoffroy (if that is indeed your real name). ‘That’s all I can say’ translates to oh em gee you guiz. Like, ginorm goss but I totes can’t tell you. I’m surprised Macgibbon hasn’t released a bitchy retort because Geoffroy is sassing her good n proper.

Geoffroy-claws out diva and CEO of Chloe

Above: Hannah Macgibbon. Hay gurl

So I’ve decided to do an exhaustive look by look review, weigh up each look as good, bad and I dunno. Then I’ll add them up and see what happens. I’ll be the one making decisions from here on in so step aside Bourdonnaye.

LOOK 1

Nice pant/top combo. A little meh for an opening look but okay.

LOOK 2

This is better. What are those? Dungarees? If they were denim we could’ve had a Babysitter’s Club moment. Let’s have one anyway shall we?

Boy crazy? How bout crazy for statutory rape? Inappropriate!

LOOK 3
Snakeskin coat. Better than Prada’s take but still a bit iffy.

LOOK 4

A mint sleeve insert? Brown leather cuffs? Yes please.

LOOK 5

The pants are nice. Very Céline. But that’s probs a bad thing. The chunky knit sweater is too Michael Kors so that’s definitely a bad thing.

LOOK 6

Leather tracksuit. I could jog then have beers at a leather bar. Who’ll join me?

LOOK 7

Printed snakeskin top with trousers. Meh. It’s kinda cool.

LOOK 8

Hannah! No! You’re doing it wrong.

LOOK 9

Snakeskin printed silk chiffon. Yes. This is the DNA of Chloé.

LOOK 10

I’m so torn after bagging those mint Mugler flares on Gaga in ID. I like this look I just don’t like mint flares.

LOOK 11

Brown suede for fall? Brenda Walsh has already spoken about this.

LOOK 12

Yes to this top. No to the skirt. This is what’s wrong with Chloé.

LOOK 13

Yawn. Too Gap

LOOK 14

I'll Let Zach Morris take this one

LOOK 15

Okay this is an interesting piece, the poncho. It was a collaboration with Dr Noki, a sustainable fashion designer. Pff, sustainable. Who ever heard of such a thing?

It’s, I don’t know. Ugly hot? Like Andy Samberg.

Oh Andy, you can cry in my lap any day

LOOK 16

Uggh, now the Gap khakis are working with the knit top. Of all the unreliable fashion sources out there I’m honoured that you choose me. I’m tearing up you guiz.

LOOK 17

Slouchy, tom-boyish.

LOOK 18

Moar snakeskinnnnnn

LOOK 19

No to that skirt and no (but secretly yes) to those clogs that I wish were made of foam for the sole with an elastic strap. 90’s lesbian chic.

Above: Pussy magnets

LOOK 20

Mustard and denim. Yes.

LOOK 21

Meh. And is this just too Céline or is Céline just too Chloé? I got ma Macgibbon on ma Philo.

LOOK 22

 A suede bodybag. Run Daphne.

LOOK 23

No

LOOK 24

No

LOOK 25

Why did this skirt length work in New York for so many designers yet here with the suspenders it’s just so unflattering.

LOOK 26

No

LOOK 27

Jumbo dolly dress.

LOOK 28

Yes. Hit the nail. So French. So au courant non? 

LOOK 29

I’m not convinced by this dark chocolate romper. Why is it cuffed like that?

LOOK 30

No

LOOK 31

This is too 70’s. There’s nothing modern about it.

LOOK 32

 A macramé leather bib? I mean, what? No, you just....why????

Well the official results are in and the pie chart says it all really. 

Major issues- The silhouette. Totally get what she’s going for but it doesn’t work. You want trousers cut with ease then see YSL fall 2008. Exquisite.

YSL Fall 08

Too 70’s. It doesn’t have to be 70’s to be Chloé. Though Stella and Phoebe both had their 70’s moments as head designer they still pushed forward and made it relevant. 

Have management told her to simplify and be more like Céline? I think so. Because of this a lot of pieces just don’t feel special. They look a little too run of the mill. 

I don’t think things are going to end well. I think critics, buyers, customers and her boss have already made up their minds. I don’t think she’s gonna pull a rabbit out of her hat for the next collection. In fact I think her boss is just biding time to find a replacement. They just recently hired Laure De Sade (former assistant at Isabel Marant) to do the See By Chloé diffusion line. 

Above: Hannah Macgibbon recently seen outside a Job Centre in Milton Keynes. 

Me Gusta

Above: Celine. Georjizz

Oh Katie, stop

Above: Comme Des Garcons. There was even some bewb in this show! Above CDG is Viktor & Rolf. 

Above: Soft painterly Cacharel. Above Cacharel is Carven. 

Hola! (that's Spanish for hello)

Well fashion week is coming to an end and on Wednesday I'm taking off to South America for 3 weeks. I don't believe I'll be blogging in that time. I think I'll just be a bloated disgusting tourist experiencing the rich culture of Argentina, eating steak and drinking way too much wine.

Unfortunately I don't have time to riff on all the collections from Paris so far. It's been quite a week. Not an article goes by without someone mentioning Galliano or how orgasmic Haider Ackermann is. I have a feeling he may be the chosen one to helm Dior.
Christophe Decarnin has a major case of the sads and wasn't at Balmain, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the clothes. Same old pants, t-shirt, jacket combo. I actually liked it, the ikat details.

There's also been whispers that Hannah Macgibbon may be out at Chloe. Now that would not surprise me. Some people dig her quietly glamorous clothes but I find them a little too quiet. A little too vacant and neither here nor there.

Phoebe Philo makes my panties ping yet again. I know some of you guys are like fuck minimalism but I just can't help myself. The leather, the chiffon, the rough fabrics, the new doctor's bag. She's so talented and knows exactly what she wants.

 Cedric Charlier at Cacharel just gets better with each season. For fall there was plenty of layering and expert colours. I love this collection very much. Sorely underrated.

Also, Carven, amazeballs.

Waaah, I wanna stay up all night and write reviews.

So what do I think after 4 weeks of New York, London, Milan and Paris?