Phoebe Philo’s final collection for the house is still one of my favourite ever runway collections
Possibly against my better judgment, I want to rally against ubiquity, conformity, the middling aesthetic informed by the algorithm, replicated one million times over. The 2026 a/w archetypes have now entered the lexicon and this is my contrarian act to eschew expectations. Aptly, that’s exactly what Phoebe Philo did for Chloe’s s/s 2006 collection, her first collection back from maternity leave and her final for the house. Y2K boho chic had been carbon-copied by the high street, flouncy skirts and tops which Philo and the in-house design team had done in previous Chloe collections.
Freja Beha Erichsen in Look 1 or Chloe s/s 2006
For Philo’s return post-mat leave, this was an inflection point, an opportunity to reset and try something new. For me, it’s still one of my favourite ever runway collections, even if my tastes and style have evolved.
And excitingly, I noticed many subtle references and nods from Chemena Kamali, Chloe’s current creative director, in the most recent s/s 2027 runway collection. An evolution from Philo’s insouciant Chloe girl to Kamali’s modern Chloe girl.
The ready-to-wear
Chloe s/s 2006 really speaks of an era. Y2K-defined girly glamour, very youthful and insouciant. And of course boho chic, through Philo’s refined lens of precise cuts and tailoring. It’s crisp, fresh, relaxed. A mix of broderie anglaise, ruffles, layers of organza each making up baby-doll dresses, tunics, blouses and skirt sets. It’s a muted palette (mostly): ivories; blacks; with classic Philo flourishes of electricity: acid orange, chartreuse and khaki.
Chartreuse at Chloe s/s 2006
Chloe s/s 2006
According to an interview Philo said she was inspired by old ladies, and a 1960s silhouette. She wanted and needed to do something different after the endless high-street copies. What I especially love about Philo’s incredible eye and inherent taste is that her translation is never literal. Its references are baked into a broader aesthetic and design language, 1960s through the lens of 2000s modernity. She’s building a new desire for women. That spoke so loudly to me then, and still does to this day.
Chloe s/s 2006
This collection is the apotheosis of the Chloe girl: effortless, polished, playful. It is though, very youthful, but contextually that makes sense: the Chloe girl client of 2006 was young, and Philo understood her desires.
Chloe s/s 2006
I noticed quite a few references to this collection in Chloe’s recent s/s 2027 collection by Kamali. The soft tailoring contrasted with the broderie anglaise, the tunic blouses, the colour palette. Even the hair: low, loose ponytails and minimal make-up both appear to be a subtle nod to s/s 2006. But Kamali refined the references for a modern woman. Bermuda shorts, trousers and full length dresses as opposed to baby-doll dresses and short skirts. Still youthful at heart, still playful with her style, but more considered, more inside her own power and sense of self.
Apple Martin in broaderie anglaise, walking for Chloe s/s 2027
The shoes and bags
Wooden-soled wedges. Vertiginous. The leather closed-toed mary-jane wedges with ankle ties? They’re still on my forever wish list (I’m still kicking myself months later when a pair in my size was available on Vinted for £60. Nothing I regret more than a missed archive piece at an outlandishly low price). The heaviness of the wood so elegantly complemented the bare legs for miles.
I also love the open-toed wedges which have been a Chloe house code carried across many seasons, and many decades. The worn-in brown leather when styled with ruffled black organza mini-dresses? Tension and intrigue effortlessly executed.
Chloe s/s 2006
Interestingly, it’s the bags in this collection which feel far more Y2K vanguard. What I mean by that is the ready-to-wear and shoes were influenced by 1960s silhouettes, with modern tailoring, cuts and materials. But the bags are so authentically Y2K in style. Oversized, chunky in shape, desaturated colours, lots of metal hardware. Strikingly, given Chloe had so many it-bags in the era, in classic Philo design pragmatism, there are very few bags actually on the runway. Instead the models sauntered, hands in pockets of dresses and skirts, showcasing the utility of the dress, and offering a different way to style while in movement.
Similarly, for Kamali’s s/s 2027, there are so few handbags on the runway. The models hold their hands in oversized pockets, or where the dresses were lacy, barely-there, or the jumpsuits were second-skins, expect someone else to be carrying your keys, cards and lipstick. Wooden-soled mary-jane wedges all featured sparingly, but had a more architectural structure to them.
The hair, make-up and styling
This has been discussed ad nauseam, but worth observing again here, though I’ll save my perspective on representation and the cultural and commercial impetus for another piece. But there isn’t a single woman of colour who walked in s/s 2006. So the hair and make-up is very uniform, styled for European white women. It’s soft low ponytails, effortlessly tied back. It’s minimal in styling, effort and extravagance, offsetting the movement of the short dresses, and ensuring this collection with its 1960s silhouettes and volumes remains modern and cool.
Make-up similarly is very pared back. Tanned velvet skin, nude lips and blush. Mascara to emphasise the cat-eyed models. So soft and subtle. This make-up really worked for the super models at the time: Gemma Ward, Jessica Stam, Lily Donaldson, Sasha Pivovarova. It was the modern, fresh look, a doll-like, doughy, heart-shaped face innocence, a shift away from the 90s super-models, where chiselled cheekbones and striking features reigned supreme.
And styling here is very much in the movement of the clothes, the pragmatism of pockets and the effortless sauntering. No jewellery, no flourishes save for a fabric-stretch belt placed sparingly with separates. It’s the minimalism of the hair and make-up allowing the softness and insouciance of the models to truly showcase the Chloe girl essence Philo so beautifully designed.
Chloe s/s 2006
Similarly, Kamali’s s/s 2027 featured low, soft ponytails, loose waves, and short afro hair. Very bohemian, entirely effortless, modern and cool. Make-up was still minimal, but glossier for today’s aesthetics.
Chloe s/s 2027
And interestingly, while there were so few bags, there was jewellery. Kamali uses sea and flora motifs in her design, and the gorgeous single-oversized ear cuffs which almost look like golden shells, offset the loose waves and minimal hair. Very modern woman approved, very considered and intentional.
Chloe s/s 2027
And this is what I love about fashion, style, design and culture. It’s a moment in time, it’s the cultural zeitgeist, then the culture moves on. But the codes can remain. Phoebe Philo’s eponymous line looks very different to her designs from Chloe, not simply because she could create her own house codes, but she as a woman has evolved. But her tailoring, cuts, attention to a desirable, modern silhouette remains. And Philo knows the woman she is designing for. Her design intuition is unparalleled, her reading of modern women’s wants and desires is exceptional. Chloe s/s 2006 was Philo’s proof of concept: eschew expectations, design for the woman you want to build desire for.
