After the hoo-ha generated last month by Kamala Harris’s appearance at the Democratic National Convention in not one but two Chloé suits — the tan number she wore for her surprise speech on Day 1, and the navy look she wore for her official acceptance speech — one could be forgiven for assuming that Chloé’s newish designer, Chemena Kamali, might lean into the whole tailoring-with-a-softer-edge thing.
After all, she had only shown one collection at that point, and if the rare woman to be at the top of an American presidential ticket wanted to be that kind of Chloé girl, it’s a pretty big vote of confidence in the direction.
But if you thought that, you would be wrong. Instead, in her sophomore show, Ms. Kamali doubled down on the 1970s love child of a rock star aesthetic and It Girl ethos that emerged in her first collection and has already spawned a host of fast-fashion homages. As well as attracting a bevy of boldface fans, many of whom (Selma Blair, Juliette Lewis, Sienna Miller) sat front row this time around. They were quasi-modeling the lacy little blouses, high-waist jeans and chunky wood wedges that were the hits of Collection 1, which are just arriving in stores now and, according the brand’s chief executive Laurent Malecaze, glad-handing at the show, are already selling out.
In fact, if anything, Ms. Kamali lightened up even further.
Literally, with lace on transparency on pastel florals. Doily-trimmed wisps of tulle became blouses and playsuits; high-low empire-waist chiffons ballooned out in the air; and brushed cotton vintage-y jackets had the sort of gathered shoulders and yolks that suggested pausing during a picnic to jump up on a rock and start reciting a Shakespearean soliloquy before breaking into the theme song from “Hair.” That there also were bloomers, short and calf-length, shown with almost everything, added to the imagery, but they were less convincing as an actual dress proposition. Amelia Bloomer may have gotten away with them as a 19th-century rebel against gendered social conventions, but at this stage, no one else should.
The result was the most summery collection of the entire fashion month so far.
At a time when climate change, as well as the sheer proliferation of collections, has made the whole idea of seasonal dressing (and seasons themselves) practically meaningless — and every time you check the news the stories seem to be about dark days ahead — Ms. Kamali offered eternal sunshine of the sartorial kind.
Who doesn’t want to bask in that glow?
The point was not, the designer said in a preview, to return to the old spring/summer and autumn/winter fashion category binary, or to comment on the environmental crisis (though Chloé didn’t publicize it, she also said the collection was from 80 percent low-impact materials, the brand’s largest percentage yet). It was, rather, to underscore a vibe.
“It’s this longing for lightness; this feeling that is so eternal and is so emotionally connected to the brand,” Ms. Kamali said. “I love that spirit so much. Even before my first show, I asked myself: ‘How do I want to feel today?’”
Good question.
She’s not the only one coming up with the summer answer. At Rabanne, Julien Dossena eschewed the futuristic armor of the brand for lingerie dressing that combined silk and silver foil in ice cream shades, and in suiting swapped pants for crisp cotton boxer shorts. And at Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry channeled the mood of weeks spent in Ibiza and Montauk both via colors, laminating ribbed knits in aquatic shades so they sparkled like sunshine on the water, and construction.
Big shoulders were filled with air, rather than shoulder pads, oversize “denim” was actually brushed cotton, and basic white polo shirts, tank tops and button-ups had stretch corsets built into the sides. Even the brand’s signature toe shoes — the ones with little trompe l’oeil digits sculpted into the shape — had been transformed into flat slides. It was less surreal than Schiaparelli-by-the-sea.
“I just wanted to show a lighter side,” Mr. Roseberry said backstage. “For me, summer has taken on a new importance.”
One that is more about an abstraction than a sartorial chronology. Because really, at this point, “summer” is a state of mind. Just as big black coats and swaddling knits can be shorthand for protection, summer dressing conveys warmth of a different kind. Also freedom, nature, optimism and the sense of being carefree. Not just during certain months of the year, but always. That has its own kind of irresistible power.
When Ms. Harris first showed up in Chloé at the Democratic convention, there was some speculation that (because politicians at high moments of public theater always dress with purpose) she was doing it in part to support a female-led brand, albeit one that was French. Maybe that was true, but maybe the choice had even more to do with the happy vibe. It does, after all, align with her message of joy — even if it was impossible to imagine the vice president in any of the lacy little nothings actually on the Chloé runway.
That’s OK. There’s probably a suit with her name on it in there somewhere, just in case.
The post But Would Kamala Wear It? appeared first on New York Times.
