The past meets the present at Chloé SS18
Artist CONIE VALLESE models CHLOÉ’s beautifully bohemian new collection to celebrate its launch on NET-A-PORTER
“Color is a new romance in my life,” says Conie Vallese, the Argentinian-born, Brooklyn-based artist. She’s talking about her work: the fluid sculptures and graphic paintings that, when she first started her career, were almost exclusively monochrome, but are now filled with bold shades. The sentiment applies to her wardrobe, too. Vallese is as in demand in the world of fashion as she is in art, thanks to her laid-back, lo-fi style (scroll through her Instagram feed and you’re most likely to see her barefoot in jeans and an unbuttoned shirt), and uncompromising stare. With that in mind, Vallese was a perfect choice to model Chloé’s SS18 collection for the exclusive launch on NET-A-PORTER.
Its unveiling on the runway back in September was eagerly anticipated and much discussed thanks to the woman behind the collection; it was the debut of newly installed Creative Director Natacha Ramsay-Levi. A relative unknown outside the industry, she has serious fashion pedigree thanks to the 11 years that she spent at Balenciaga before heading to Louis Vuitton as Nicolas Ghesquière’s head of womenswear. Bringing a rock’n’roll edge to the bohemian, carefree spirit that Chloé is renowned for, Ramsay-Levi has added biker jackets and cowboy boots (fast shaping up to be the big-hitting accessory of the season) to the signature dreamy dresses, embroidered blouses and retro pantsuits.
“Vallese’s understated, effortless air encapsulates the Chloé girl that we all want to be
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It’s a collection that you’ll really want to see up close, due to the compelling details peppered throughout: the mystical mix of symbolic hands, moons and eyes; the silver rings that pierce ruffled dresses and sculptural tops; and the colorful prints designed by artist Rithika Merchant. Above all, though, it’s the individual, independent attitude of the collection that really makes you want to wear it. Which is why it chimes so neatly with Vallese; her understated, effortless air encapsulates the Chloé girl that we all want to be.