THE NOSTALGIC AND THE NEW

A crop of forward-thinking female designers are proving that the two need not be mutually exclusive.

- JEFFREY YAN

This past March, something rare and wonderful happened at the women’s fall/winter 2024 shows. In her first outing as the creative director of Chloé, Chemena Kamali managed to capture lightning in a bottle with a frilly, floaty collection that harked back to the heights of boho chic in the Noughties, which itself was inspired by the eclectic romanticism of the Seventies. With so many designers pushing coolly calculated minimalism or engineered-for-virality outrageousness, Kamali’s soft cascades of ruffles and patchworked denims—first introduced by Karl Lagerfeld, then revived by Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo—suddenly felt fresh again. This was no straight-up rehash though; Kamali put her own, very 2024 spin on things—those billowy dresses were tucked into slouchy high boots; the jeans were worn with handsome capes and sturdy clogs. She doubled down on the Seventies-via-Noughties idea—think wispy blouses, flared pants and long-line leather coats—for her just-unveiled pre-fall 2024 collection, which is hitting stores a few months ahead of that fall/winter collection.