Cheating on The Row with Chloé
Cheating on The Row with Chloé
An experiment in romanticism
Everywhere you look on Substack, social media, and real life these days, it’s obvious the chokehold The Row has us all in. And for good reason; their clothes are both wearable yet inventive, and relay the effortlessly elevated vibes so many of us want to feel when getting dressed. Not to mention, it’s pretty easy to cosplay The Row through good styling with key staples in your closet (as exhibited so beautifully not too long ago by
here.)For a while now, we (or at least I) have been in the middle of a The Row/Khaite/Toteme loop where clean minimalism reigns supreme and “quiet luxury” (ugh, sorry) has been the primary fashion language most of us have been speaking. Not to say there aren’t outliers and of course, people with inspiring personal style who interpret these brands and more broadly- their associated aesthetic- in ways that feel unexpected. Nevertheless, minimalist dressing in this vein is a paragon for many of us, often times with a side of masculine edge. In fact, you can read BoF’s recent well-written story on the matter here.
But every once in a while, isn’t it fun to rock the boat? To shake things up, while still remaining true to your personal style? That is, after all, what fashion is about, right? New concepts, novel ideas and thought-provoking ways to punctuate your wardrobe every season or so, while keeping the fundamentals that comprise your style in tact.
Enter Chemena Kamali’s Chloé. The designer’s Fall 2024 debut collection was the talk of last season’s Paris Fashion Week and for good reason: it was equal parts fantasy and femininity, in a way that took many of us (aka, me) by surprise. Not because she’s not immensely talented (she so is) or because Chloé is not a beautiful brand (it so is), but because it was a palate cleanser (
I spelled it right this time!) in every sense of the term. Hello romanticism, it’s been a minute!
Now what does this all this Chloé buzz mean for us and how we get dressed this fall? It can mean anything and everything or nothing at all. This is where personal style kicks in -and the importance of staying true to yours is critical. But as mentioned, personal style is also a constant evolution. A living, breathing being that you can mold, tweak and alter as you see fit, so long as the end result still resonates and feels authentic to you. It’s downright energetic and inspiring to consider an ever-so subtle refinement to your personal style thanks to a new way of looking at a brand, aesthetic or ultimately, clothes themselves.
Such was my experience with Chloé. I’ve long-since written off “boho style” as one chock-full of cheesy ruffles, tiered maxi skirts in ditsy floral prints, prairie dresses and obscene amounts of lace. And generally, I’m not mistaken in this assessment. Boho style is not my bag nor will it ever be, esp in its purest, truest form. However, the idea of incorporating some subtle feminine flair a la Chemena’s Chloé excited me, perhaps in the same way some pieces at DÔEN do from time to time. I’m realizing I’m more feminine than I might care to admit or even dress these days, and to be honest maybe the pendulum has swung a touch too far into the angular, the clean, and the modern- at least for me. Maybe this collection resonated so much with me, like many others, because it was a reminder about the need for balance. The masculine meeting the feminine, the blurry gray area between it all where the magic happens. There was also strength in this collection, be it through the pieces themselves, the way the models walked or the styling. Whatever the reason, 2024’s take on boho feels less saccharine and more empowering, less tradwife and more Marianne Faithfull.
In taking these Chloé cues, I searched deep in my own wardrobe to determine how I could capture the romantic essence of this collection in a way that makes sense for my personal style. In some instances I reconsidered pieces I hadn’t reached for in a while. In others, I purchased items that really spoke to me and would add dimension to my wardrobe. And in a few cases, it was a matter of reconsidering styling. Any avenue taken resulted in an evolution of my style, and some new looks I’m excited to wear this Fall- not because it’s “trendy,” but because it’s interesting, fresh and perhaps most importantly - balanced.
RUFFLES
I cannot even believe I’m writing the world ‘ruffle’ in my Substack because it’s so foreign to me and my sense of style. But I realized, I’m not drawn to the ruffles themselves in the Chloé collection; rather, the sense of floaty ethereality afforded by the silk chiffon meeting the volume created by the ruffle. I wasn’t about to purchase a ruffly blouse given how far out of my wheelhouse that is- again, this is not about changing your style to fit into a trend. But, I liked the vibe. So, I went deeeeep into my closet and pulled out this c. 2017 Rosetta Getty chiffon minidress/top with exaggerated bell sleeves and a ruffled hem that I most certainly haven’t worn or even reached for post-pandemic. By adding a blazer, stirrup leggings and a sharp heel, I kept the look “me” but with a Chloé touch.
There are many lessons here: 1. Always shop your closet for goodies you’ve squirreled away- fashion is after all, cyclical. 2. If you’re drawn to a look but don’t want to purchase new pieces OR it feels a bit much to interpret literally, break it down into the elements instead. This way you can take only what serves you and leave the rest behind. And 3. Always bring it back to your happy place. For me, it was the black & white monochrome that clicked it all into place.
LACE
Lace is an interesting component of “boho style” in that it can feel both feminine and sweet but also subversive and sexy depending on how it’s used. As shown in the Chloé collection, it was very much on the feminine side vs the sexy side, but it did have some edge in the way it was styled, which made it feel modern. By pairing lace with denim, adding the gold hardware in the belt and a very heavy shoe (clogs), it feels tougher, cooler, and less precious - creating that much needed contrast (hi
!) that’s so critical to balanced outfit-making. For me, the lace in the Chloé show was simply a good reminder to pull out some old lace tops that I had accumulated but again, hadn’t reached for in some time. Nothing revolutionary here, just a fun revisit of a wardrobe item you may already have in your closet that can feel a bit fresher this season, esp when styled just so.TEXTURE CLASH
One of the more nuanced elements I noticed in the styling of this collection was this idea of massively clashing textures. We all know that mixing textures is a great way to add depth and subtle layering to your look. But as we have seen from our friends at The Row or Toteme, this is typically done very elegantly, with an emphasis on tonality. Personally, I usually draw the line at mixing two textures max, staying true to my minimalist tendencies. For instance: a cashmere jumper with a silk skirt or a technical jacket with a wool trouser. But at Chloé, subtlety was out the door and the texture clash was blaringly obvious. MESH! LEATHER! CHIFFON! HARDWARE! —all in one look. I realized, this extreme take on texture clashing is a low-risk way to add interest to my otherwise minimal looks. Happily for me, it didn’t go too outside my comfort zone bc the look presented on the runway in monochrome (or close enough). This familiar territory guided me!
I decided to break the textures down one by one to understand how I might emulate. On the runway you see leather, chiffon, mesh, hardware, and even though fringe is an embellishment and not a texture, it does add “oomph” to the look so I took it into account. I don’t own much chiffon, so I figured silk was an adjacent fabric - hence the silk pants above. I added a simple mesh tee and mesh sandals, and brought forth the leather via my jacket. Since I also don't own fringe, the snakeskin print serves as the extra ‘oomph’ in this equation. I also kept it pretty monochrome per the inspo. I threw on a silver cuff for hardware and boom! A strangely minimal-ish yet also Chloé-esque texture clash that I think (maybe?!) even Chemena would be proud of. (Ok well in my dreams at least!)
PLAID
There was an English countryside slant to some of the Chloé looks, which is another reason this collection resonated with me. I love the classic appeal of these traditional style hallmarks, which are very much in my personal style repertoire. To see them interpreted by Chemena with humor and flair bubbled them back up to the surface for me. You see them in the collection’s capelets and coats, leather riding boots, tweeds, gold buttons and of course- plaid! I’m really feeling plaid this fall and loved the inspo of styling it more feminine. I recently scored this vintage silk YSL blouse on The Real Real for a mere $85, and initially was thinking of pairing it with jeans, a blazer, and flats- and calling it a day. But here’s where I took the plunge and “went for it” with a Chloé-inspired look that felt out of my immediate comfort zone - and I loved it. The plaid and suede were grounding factors for me, in that these are two elements that already exist in my wardrobe. So the look, while certainly not one you’d call minimal by any stretch, still feels very ‘me.’
Some of these interpretations and looks- esp this last one- are what I call “going off piste” - which is a whole newsletter in and of itself that hopefully I’ll get around to writing one day. In essence this approach to styling is that every now and again, it’s a healthy (and fun!) exercise to push your limits and try something that maybe feels slightly out of your comfort zone. This isn’t to say you abandon your true sense of style for the sake of a ‘hot’ collection or a trend - that would be the opposite of what I aim to relay through this newsletter. But just like you might challenge yourself to run one extra mile, go on a date with someone who’s not exactly your type, or experiment with a new hair color (or dare I say, bangs?!), such is the same concept of “going off piste” with your style, and stretching your legs a bit to see what other concepts, looks and ideas could suit you. Maybe it’s a total flop, you hate it, and you go back to your comfort place of Agolde jeans and COS sweaters. And that’s fine! But remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? And so I challenge us all to maybe put together an outfit this week that doesn’t feel 100% fully “you,” but is intriguing to you nonetheless. I’d love to hear how it makes you feel, think and consider yourself—and your wardrobe! You’d be surprised just how much a little “style stretch” can expand the boundaries of what feels authentic to you, and ultimately, inject a bit of that coveted balance into your every day.
Thank you so much for reading and for being here! This was a fun one - I hope you enjoyed too! Appreciate all the support more than you know…see you next week! xx
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Really suits you! That black and polka dot was chefs kiss. And a much more elegant vibe than Doen (who has time to frolic next to a castle on a cloudy day to make the outfit work). Maybe we’ve been too TR/toteme- pilled to remember feminine dressing can be nice too.
I love the last outfit and think it looks lived in and comfortable, not “too much” at all, despite the textures and colors. I think the modern shoe with straight lines and solid color reframes the more earthy and traditional elements of the other pieces.