As rumors swirl about Gabriela Hearst potentially leaving her role as the artistic director of luxury fashion house Chloé, the brand is paying homage to legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with a traveling exhibition held in its boutiques. This exhibition not only serves as a strategic move to drive foot traffic to stores but also provides a glimpse into a significant chapter of Chloé’s history.
Karl Lagerfeld joined Chloé in the early 1960s, working closely with founder Gaby Aghion. He eventually rose to become the sole designer in 1974 and held the position until 1983. After a hiatus, Lagerfeld returned to Chloé from 1992 to 1997. With the opening of this new exhibition at the Chloé flagship store in Paris, the luxury brand aims to showcase Lagerfeld’s more than two decades of collaboration with the fashion house.
The exhibition features a collection of Lagerfeld’s iconic designs for Chloé, ranging from flowing caftans to sequined sheath dresses and the famous “violin” dresses that were inspired by the structuralism of the 1980s. Spanning across two floors and encompassing 500 square meters, the boutique presents archival sketches, photographs, and never-before-seen silhouettes, paying tribute to the late designer who passed away in February 2019.
This exhibition serves as a meaningful parallel to the major retrospective titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which will run until July 16. The MET Gala in May was also dedicated to Lagerfeld and garnered significant public attention.
After Paris, the traveling exhibition will journey to multiple destinations in Asia. This summer, it is scheduled to make stops in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hangzhou. Tokyo and Dubai are also projected to host the exhibition in the fall.
Fashion enthusiasts and admirers of Karl Lagerfeld can take pleasure in visiting the Chloé boutique at 253 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, where the Karl Lagerfeld exhibition will be on display until July 6, 2023.
Useful links:
– Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
– Chloé official website
