Gabriela Hearst Really Went Out With a Bang for Chloé Spring 2024

The setting couldn’t have been more perfect for Chloé’s Spring 2024 runway show Thursday afternoon, marking Gabriela Hearst’s swan song after three years as creative director. We were outside, right on the Seine, with a light breeze and nary a cloud in the sky. Waiters passed out Caipirinhas (a famous Brazilian cocktail) as guests arrived, setting a civilized and sophisticated — but fun! — tone for the runway.

What followed was Hearst’s final collection for Chloé, and I’d argue one of her best. Like many designers, Hearst mused on flowers for Spring 2024, but did so in her own thoughtful, quiet way, without using a single pastel or botanical print. Instead, she focused on taking the shapes of flowers, creating wearable, desirable, feminine pieces informed by the curves of stems and petals. 

Curved wrap skirts, dresses and outerwear are inspired by the calla lily, while orchids inform seams, cutouts, balloon sleeves and plunging necklines. “Lengths of wool crepe jersey spill out exuberantly through ceramic buckles like bougainvillaea, encircling the body and forming a minidress with the spontaneity of a vine,” — quoted directly from the show notes, because I couldn’t put it better. Beads recall stamens; sleeves take the shape of petals. On the more literal end of the spectrum are flower embellishments on dresses made from ceramic and leather and a black gown with silk bouquet sleeves.

In the show notes, the collection is described as a “celebration of (Hearst’s) transformational time at Chloé,” which has included a lot of work and messaging around sustainability and climate activism, with each of her last three collections focusing on a specific climate solution. For Spring 2024, Hearst aimed to explore “the power of individual action as a form of environmental advocacy,” connecting this idea to the botanical theme:

“If we look closely, there are sprigs of positive news all around that can spark a blossoming of essential ideas, and where better to look than the remarkable engineering of plants and flowers? These crucial oxygenators that we depend on are a radiant representation of life itself.”

The collection also pays homage to Chloé’s origins, through overall craftsmanship as well as a reinterpretation of a clutch designed by founder Gaby Aghion. Accessory-wise, the shoes are the real stars: the strappy floral sandals and metal wedges (inspired by a 1993 Karl Lagerfeld Chloé design) will be on many a shopping list.

The real celebration came at the end of the show, when dancers and musicians from the Rio de Janeiro samba school Mangueira burst onto the runway for a jubilant grand finale. After the models completed their final walk, Hearst came out and joined them, dancing her heart out in a way that conveyed unbridled joy, excitement and release. She’s done!

Keep scrolling to see every look from Chloé’s Spring 2024 collection.

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