Chloé Spring 2026 collection: Female Vertigo

The Chloé Spring 2026 collection explores two very different representations of femininity in Cinema and Photography in the early 1980s. Drawing inspiration from the visual language of female roles of the “Film noir” genre, the collection reflects on how the male and female gaze present female archetypes in very different ways. Evoking memories of how 1980s movies were styled, the sense of glamour, opulence and assertive silhouette. The obsessional aspect of these films, Hitchcock inspired, allusive, strong sense of color, controversial, unusual camera angles and compositions. Representing women in two very different ways.

Through one lens, women were portrayed by men in idealized, stylized narratives as in Brian da Palma’s thrillers. In film, fashion, and media, these portraits leaned into glamour and fantasy, projecting desire and perceived perfection through a view shaped by the societal stereotypes. In contrast, the work of photographer Sybille Mallmann and Filmmaker Bette Gordon present an alternative perspective. Mallmann’s portraits of young female artists in West Berlin and Munich during this era highlight the beauty of the ordinary and the real, capturing daily life of women with honesty and depth. This approach offers a raw and truthful depiction of womanhood, one rooted in self-expression rather than fantasy. Bette Gordon’s film “Variety” (1983), referred to as the “Feminist Vertigo”, further reflects this shift, placing a woman at the center of her own desire. Gordon’s protagonist becomes the subject, not the object, of the gaze.

Female roles are completely differently portrayed between the Hollywood blockbusters and the New York Independent movies of that time. This contrast between stylization and realness, this dramatic tension between fantasy and reality is at the heart of this collection because the Chloé woman embraces both.

The Chloé wardrobe introduces graphic and more angular lines, vivid colors and exuberant prints using lightweight fabrics without losing shape and form. This season, the Chloé woman adopts a sleek proportion play while staying true to her intuitive and personal way of dressing. She embraces the balance of structure and ease, of sensuality and strength and embodies this captivating duality.

The Chloé Spring 2026 collection is photographed by Johnny Dufort and features actress Lily McInerny alongside models Prinnie Stott, Stella Hanan, Jacqui Hooper, Heija Li, Marylore Heck, River Klein, Carolina Tilgner and Ekaterina Riabenko.