The surprise at the Chloé showroom was the color. The canary yellow shirt and skirt, the pumpkin ribbed-knit sweater, and the burnt sienna upholstery-leather skirt—not to mention the huge, gorgeous, patchworked shawl that incorporated those three shades—qualify as big news in the universe of designer Hannah MacGibbon, who's made a virtue of all beige runway shows. She even did an oversize paisley print in brown and white and a blanket stripe coat. But things haven't changed so much chez Chloé that you won't recognize the seventies-style fit of a corduroy pantsuit or the topcoat with the precise military cut. Long tunic dresses over full trousers looked new and in line with the season.
You can't exactly argue that the house has returned to its early aughts heyday, when its Paddington bags seemed to sell out overnight. But there have been recent successes on the accessories front, specifically the Marcie, a saddlebag that comes in several different sizes and colors. For pre-fall, Chloé's likely It extra is a knee-high chunky-heeled boot that will make a smart accompaniment to MacGibbon's just-below-the-knee skirts.
