#SuzyPFW: Chloé Finds Art In The Heart Of Fashion

Natacha Ramsay-Levi strides forward.

Clothes for grown-up women – who have already lived and loved, worked and played – filled the runway at Chloé.

In the front row was Marriane Faithfull whose gravelly voice, reading poetic words from the past, was the show’s substitute for mere music.

 

 

 

 

Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clothes for grown up women - at Chloé by Natacha Ramsey

Post udostępniony przez Suzy Menkes (@suzymenkesvogue) Lut 27, 2020 o 2:35 PST

The famous performer’s presence also emphasised the desire of designer Natacha Ramsay-Levi to move the Chloé brand decisively from the free-as-a-bird young women who marked French fashion in the 1960s to something relevant to 2020.

The clothes were just right for a smart woman to take in her stride. There were many trousers, jeans included, with short jackets, mid-calf dresses and shorter ones – almost always, whatever the hemline, caught at the waist with a neat leather belt. The skirt lengths were up or down, but neither length dominated the runway.

 

 

 

 

Wyświetl ten post na Instagramie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marianne Faithful watching Chloé show by Natacha Ramsey-Levi. The voice of the poet of song was used as the show’s backdrop

Post udostępniony przez Suzy Menkes (@suzymenkesvogue) Lut 27, 2020 o 2:56 PST

Apart from the collection itself, there were other contributions from smart women, especially from the art world: prints, paintings and other items too powerful to describe as ‘decoration’.

“This idea of having many different collaborations is about showing a community of creative spirits,” said Natacha. “It’s one reason why I do this job – because women are always questioning identity. It’s something that you can’t fix. It’s still very open. And I’m always encouraged by the work of my friends and of artists in general and collaborating with them.”

The designer is exceptionally articulate. And this collection seemed like a turning point in her two-and-a-half-year stint. It was also her first show since the arrival of new CEO, Ricardo Bellini.

Why Marianne Faithfull – so courageous to be there in a wheelchair?

“I met her around two years ago, when she brought out her album Negative Capability; she is a woman who can understand the zeitgeist,” Natacha explained. “She has made 22 albums, she has reinvented herself all the time – she’s never at the place you expect her to be and I think that is beautiful and inspiring.”