Mood of the Moment

An exploration of fashion designer Gaby Aghions life, career, and legacy at the French fashion house Chlo As imagined by the companys founder, Gaby Aghion (19212014), the sophisticated, romantic, and glamorous designs of Chlo have captured the energy and aspirations of generations of women since Aghion designed her first collection in 1952. This sumptuously illustrated book centers Chlo and Aghion within the cultural arena and crystallizes a major transition in the postwar Parisian fashion industry, from haute couture to prt- -porter. Aghion defined Chlo as a brand of luxury ready-to-wear clothing combining high-end materials and savoir faire with light shapes for active women. Aghion, an Egyptian Jew in Paris, brought a fresh, outsider perspective to French fashion. Seventy years of archival clothing from Chlo designers are reproduced here, many for the first time, along with sketches, advertisements, and photographs. Essays shed light on Aghions life, the companys approach to fashion, and the ways in which it fostered young talents. The book celebrates Aghions daring entrepreneurship and her legacy through the acclaimed designers who embodied and reinterpreted her original inspiration. Paulo Melim Andersson, Gabriela Hearst, Clare Waight Keller, Karl Lagerfeld, Hanna MacGibbon, Stella McCartney, Peter OBrien, Phoebe Philo, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, and Martine Sitbon offer recollections of their experiences working at the fashion house. Published in association with the Jewish Museum, New York Exhibition Schedule: Jewish Museum, New York (October 13, 2023February 18, 2024)