To kick off couture week in Paris, Chloé has unveiled its new space dedicated to year-round exhibitions and cultural events that will highlight the brand’s 65-year history and the ever-evolving narrative of the Chloé girl. Spanning over five floors in a stunning Haussmann-style building dating back to 1903, Maison Chloé will act as a space for archives, exhibitions, events and showrooms.
Located adjacent to the brand’s HQ in the picturesque 8th, Maison Chloé opened its doors with two exhibitions. There’s a permanent space in the mezzanine that is dedicated to the anthology of the Chloé girl, chronicling the brand’s heritage from its founder Gaby Aghion to the designers who succeeded her (including Phoebe Philo, Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and Clare Waight Keller), including new creative director, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, and their contributions to the brand. The exhibition draws from the label’s archives and included are original sketches, accessories such as handbags and jewelry, as well as a selection of garments from the designers who have helmed the brand.
The second exhibition is dedicated to the French photographer Guy Bourdin, whose work was often published in Vogue Paris. Many of the images from his print work featured pieces from Chloé’s ready-to-wear collection. These beautiful editorials, alongside Bourdin’s photographs serve as the basis for “Femininities—Guy Bourdin,” which exhibits over 100 exquisitely selected images paired with archival garments featured in the shoot. Bourdin’s work always invokes a sinister sexuality that isn’t often associated with the Chloé girl, but this new exhibition, spread over four floors, explores how these two seemingly different aesthetics can come together.
“I think one of the driving ideas behind opening this building is to encourage debate and so I think how better than to start with a photographer who is seemingly at odds with the codes of the house and to start to open what is both a provocation and a collaboration,” explained curator Judith Clark.
It was nothing short of surreal to see archival Chloé pieces in an imposing Belle Époque building that was once a hotel, alongside vintage Vogue editorial shoots and framed Bourdin prints. The space was restored a few years ago but has kept some of the original features such as ceiling molding, fireplaces and an impressive stairwell the snakes up and down the building with wrought-iron railings.
Click through the gallery below to check out the space and the two exhibitions at Maison Chloé. To plan your visit, see their website. The Maison is located at 28 rue de La Baume in Paris.
