Sale rack: Chloe opens a boutique on Melrose Place
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Chloé, the French luxury house, is devoted to casual separates with enough edge to appeal to young women. Its casual looks, what the French refer to as ‘day wear,’ are Los Angeles day-to-night wear. As a matter of fact, the line looks so right for an L.A. woman’s closet -- sheer blouses paired with shorts, one-shoulder dresses -- that you wonder why Chloé, which just opened its first proper Los Angeles boutique on Melrose Place, took so long to get here.
Founded by Gaby Aghion, Chloé introduced luxury prêt-à-porter to the masses 57 years ago and was the springboard for designers Karl Lagerfeld in 1966, Stella McCartney in 1997 and Phoebe Philo in 2001. Philo’s former assistant Hannah MacGibbon stepped in last year as creative director and has been toughening and updating the brand’s trademark gauze, ruffles, trousers and pastels with menswear fabrics and boxy shapes.
The Chloé boutique, nestled between Oscar de la Renta and Temperley in a row of faux French chateau-style white bungalows, was designed by Sophie Hicks Architects, a London firm, and incorporates such elements as skylights and laser-cut abstract panels. The street-facing unit houses accessories, while a separate two-story building in the rear carries the collection, using its veranda to frame the fashions.
The spring/summer collection, in colors influenced by the desert, fills out the store until MacGibbon’s well-reviewed fall lineup, including hot, thigh-high pirate boots, lands. Styles include a $1,550 boyfriend blazer, meant to be worn over a $575 gauzy gray silk blouse, and $775 leopard-print shorts. Chloé’s trademark scalloped hemline shows up on a $1,795 navy polka-dot mini dress with three-quarter-length sleeves, a $2,495 white linen coat and a $595 tan sling-back heel.
Accessories are the main focus, including the buzzed-about new pebble-embossed leather, $1,995 Sally bag that is structured rather than slouchy and the multi-strap $995 Carrie suede wedge that embodies Chloé -- classic design tweaked into hipness but eminently wearable.8448 Melrose Place
, Los Angeles. (323) 602-0000. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. www.chloe.comClick here for more news on shops and sales.
-- Max Padilla
MORE IN IMAGE:
British denim brand MIH parties in style
Your Scene: Show off your favorite spring 2009 outfits