Chloé A/W11

Last season was about simple balletic grace and from there it was amped up to the max as Hannah MacGibbon sent out an onslaught of python in Chloé’s latest collection. The opening look foretold that python wouldn’t just be used in its raw state but as a print, effective on a pair of pleat front wide-legged silk trousers, continuing in the vein of the 70s, easy-breezy gal that MacGibbon seems to always evoke with her collections. Then the python attack really kicked into a gear as it was panelled into a suede jumpsuit, worked into an all over cocoon, coat, printed onto a knitted polo neck and silk skirts and dresses – all with shades of the sportswear elements that has pervaded a MacGibbon’s collections for Chloé.

A colour blocked patchwork poncho marked another notch in the Chloé cape cout, seeing as one seems to always pop up in every collection. References to the denim shirt and jeans look of S/S 10 cropped up again in a denim skirt and jeans with faded pockets. Then the mood darkened to a series of all-black ensembles including a bulked out leather trench contrasted with a floaty smocked chiffon dress with a ruffled white collar. The same contrast was worked into a slicked-up pair of black leather dungarees paired with a white pussy bow blouse. You can conclude by the end that this season's Chloé girl is straddling hard and soft elements all in one go, wanting to play with harder materials whilst remaining in those comfortable silhouettes, which made for a visually more interesting texture-based assault than the minimal tract that MacGibbon has worked on for the past few seasons.