Founded by Egyptian-born Gaby Aghion in 1952, Chloe pioneered luxury ready-to-wear that was all about ease and femininity, offering an elegant haute bohemian style for the modern, liberated Parisienne. Resolutely contemporary, the house spotted and hired a young Karl Lagerfeld as early as the 1960s: he stayed for over two decades, achieving fame and recognition worldwide through his Chloe work, before Stella McCartney (and her then assistant Phoebe Philo) succeeded him straight out of fashion school.
This definitive publication opens with a concise history of the house of Chloe before exploring the collections themselves, which are organized chronologically. Each new era in Chloe's history opens with a brief overview and biography of the new designer, while individual collections are introduced by a short text unveiling their influences and highlights, and illustrated with carefully curated catwalk images. A rich reference section, including an extensive index, concludes the book.
