Chloé Spring 2027: Broderie Anglaise — and Other Obsessions

by · WWD
Chloé Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear Collection at Paris Fashion WeekGiovanni Giannoni/WWD

In recent rounds of fashion musical chairs, some creative directors landed at heritage houses that don’t sync up with their natural creative expression and aesthetics.

Feel free to make your own lists, but it’s doubtful Chemena Kamali will be on many, for she lives, breathes and incarnates Chloé to an uncanny degree.

During a preview on Tuesday, her long, wavy hair cascading over the ruffles of her vintage Chloé broderie anglaise blouse, she cracked open a giant volume of Swiss embroidery samples from 1870 to 1930, marveling at their variety, intricacy and beauty.

She made her confident, breezy spring 2027 show — which, like Saint Laurent earlier in the week, felt like an unofficial swan song — all about her Chloé obsessions, which are many, ranging from lingerie dressing and cape-like outerwear to scoop-neck tailoring and, above all else, broderie anglaise.

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She applied the needlework technique to crisp cottons, wispy chiffon and sturdy organza for blouses, nightshirt-like dresses and harness-like tops, also stamping the telltale eyelets of broderie anglaise on leather handbags and tall boots.

On the opening looks in broderie anglaise, she added more layers of feminine textures: Guipure lace, 3D flowers, pearls and silk tassels, a pileup of couture techniques that’s also part of the label’s legacy. Kamali clothes can be overcharged, and hence very expensive, but that’s where obsession takes you.

Another one is necklines, and she included all the romantic ones: sweetheart, boatneck, scoop neck and off the shoulder. “When I think of a silhouette, I always think of first the neckline, and I work my way downwards,” she said.

For outerwear, she studied fishermen — hence all the yellow slickers and floppy hats with extra-long brims — but also took inspiration from Chloé sunglasses for transparent capes in smoky shades that were as dramatic as they were practical.

The German-born designer has surehandedly brought back Chloé’s sunny nonchalance, natural femininity and youthful elan, always making winks to Karl Lagerfeld’s two brand-defining tenures. Her mood board this season included one of the first suits he designed for the brand in 1972, in white with scalloped edges. Kamali knows the image by heart.

Recall that Kamali began her fashion career at Chloé in 2007 as part of Phoebe Philo’s team, going on to work for the likes of Alberta Ferretti, Strenesse and Lanvin before rejoining Chloé in 2013 as design director under Clare Waight Keller until 2016, when she departed to become Saint Laurent’s women’s ready-to-wear design director under Anthony Vaccarello.

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Thursday’s show felt personal and wistful, soundtracked by some of Kamali’s touchstone songs, including for the finale Hildegard Knef’s 1968 chanson “Für mich soll’s rote Rosen regnen,” which translates to “It Should Rain Red Roses for Me.”

In her show notes, Kamali characterized the show as “an expression of the maison’s heart and soul.”

“May the love that poured into this collection endure forever,” she wrote.