Nostalgia Woven with Air

For SS26, Chloé under Chemena Kamali leans into its heritage in the most light-footed way, letting prints, drape, and ease carry the brand's romantic DNA forward without letting it feel stuck in the past. Flowers, dropped hems, pastel tones—all markers of classic Chloé

-return, but the show's energy is one of refinement: of looking back not to replicate but to reinterpret. The result is a collection that breathes, moves, and flutters more than it demands.

Kamali's work here balances floaty dresses with structure: softly draped floral minis, pleated skirts, and ruched tops live alongside more grounded pieces—cropped blouses, straight-leg trousers, and lightweight outerwear. She mines archival Chloé prints—‘50s,

'60s, ‘70s—then plays with them via pleating, knotting, wrap shapes, and draping to give them a modern loosening.

There are dropped hems, sarong and wrap-skirt treatments, and hemlines that vary—even in one look—from mini to midi, creating surprising asymmetries that give movement. The "boho" Chloé girl is still here, but she's less about excess frills and more about gesture: a sleeve twist, a tie, a sash, or how fabric catches light.

Florals reign. Kamali sources vintage prints—bold rose prints, Hawaiian-tinged florals—and lets them run free across dresses, smocks, jackets. But what feels fresh is how she uses them: not just for decoration, but as catalysts for drape, silhouette-play, even for swim-inspired looks (bodies that turn into swim as much as dress) and accessories that nod to mid-century femininity.

Colour palettes shift from joyous pastels—rosy pinks, lavender, soft aqua—to more grounded neutrals in the later half: sand, almond, lemon, coffee tones, gentle creams. This gradient lends the show a narrative arc: from the sunlit optimism of blossoms into the softer calm of everyday, twilight dress-moments. Materials similarly oscillate—sheers, cotton poplins, floaty chiffons, contrasted with more substantial fabrics in outerwear and trousers.

Kamali positions Chloé SS26 as both return and reinvention. She acknowledges being

"back in her comfort zone" with draping, but also challenges herself to push the brand's codes: less petticoats, less stiffness; more movement, more spontaneity.

There's a sense of joy and romance, but also discipline. The designs feel intuitive— women-centered, wearable-yet still aspire: bags inspired by '50s swim caps, heels that nod to pool slides; hybrids that mix the elegant with the everyday. The boho softness remains, but Kamali seems intent on showing that softness can still carry strength.

The freshness of vintage prints reworked with modern drape and loosened structure. Chloé feels alive in its nostalgia. The show doesn't overreach; even rich outerwear doesn't flatten the sense of lightness and movement that defines the earlier looks. Many looks are wearable, practical even, despite the romanticism—a cropped blouse, a wrap skirt, a statement dress—but all with a footprint of fantasy.

Some heavier outerwear or structured pieces risk muting the lighter spirit—especially when placed after airy florals. They can pull the collection's energy down if sequencing or styling doesn't balance. The reliance on archival floral prints may feel safe to some critics: when you lean so deeply into past references, the measure of innovation becomes more rigorous. Kamali has to keep pushing where Chloé has not gone before. In photos or in less well-lit stores, the subtleties of drape, print scale, and fabric fluidity might lose clarity—it’s a collection that demands seeing in motion.

Chloé SS26 is a luminous assertion of identity by Kamali: romantic without being naive, nostalgic without being derivative, wearable without being ordinary. It's a show that whispers more than it shouts—and yet, that whisper carries.

In a season of extremes, this feels like a breath of calm energy—flowers, flounce, floating fabrics—but anchored by thought, proportion, heart. Chloé is showing that its heritage is not baggage, but wings.