Cults of Minimalism

CHLOE, GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

 

 

Hannah MacGibbon is waving the minimalist flag at Chloé, but in her hands, the cult of less has a more playful attitude. There’s something, fresh and almost naïve about MacGibbon’s look.  The cuffed shorts she tucked underneath the monastic three-quarter split jacket, which opened the show, are a case in point. Ditto the crystal pleats in nude or chocolate silk—a great way to make a long skirt move, paired with a glittering flesh tone unitard. And MacGibbon’s dresses are positively pristine, bordering on heavenly.

Giambattista Valli seems divided on the minimalism question. He can’t subtract every detail—that’s just not him. Instead he has pired down just a bit for ladies who want purity, but can’t resist leopard print. Bias black and white gingham check for an A-line crop top and matching hourglass pants look like Palm beach in the 1960s. But then Valli let the leopard out of the cage, mixing spots and color blocking for simple shifts, adding a lace edge, or oversized orange pockets, brocade and satin edging