Mikhaela Aghion commemorates the woman who taught her to be curious by holding a new show in her honor.
Gaby Aghion, who started the French fashion brand Chloé in 1952, was born Gabrielle Hanoka in Alexandria, Egypt, in March 1921. “Mood of the Moment: Gaby Aghion and the House of Chloé” is the exhibition title of her recent collection of work at The Jewish Museum in New York. She was an entrepreneur and a proponent of effortless elegance and modern, feminine design. In addition to helping launch the careers of Phoebe Philo, Karl Lagerfeld, and Stella McCartney—all of whom have items on exhibit during their time as creative directors for the brand—Aghion founded one of the most illustrious fashion labels of the last 70 years.
The exhibition’s rooms showcase Aghion’s origin story, her evolution as a trailblazer, and what the curators call “the blouse room,” a space featuring multiple versions of one of the brand’s signature pieces. The effortless elegance of the blouse captures Chloé’s commitment to creating clothing that real women can and want to wear in their daily lives. While fashion may play a significant role in Aghion’s history, her family has always been the trustworthy source of inspiration for her artistic vision. Ask her granddaughter, Mikhaela Aghion, a fashion and luxury brand consultant, about it. She made this statement on a Zoom call the day following the exhibition’s grand opening party, which takes place through February 18.
“She would tell me to open up her wardrobe,” Aghion recalls of her beloved grandma Gaby, who departed in 2014. “A youngster should never go inside a grandmother’s wardrobe, especially if it contains priceless materials; there were no simple cotton clothes to be found there. “What do you feel?” she would ask me while opening her wardrobe. She would act in this way both at home and at stores. According to Aghion, it was Gaby’s method of imparting knowledge by example, allowing the young lady to form her thoughts and feelings regarding the garments’ shapes, weights of the materials, and overall aesthetics. Aghion quips that she didn’t find it “weird” that she was aware of the existence of broderie anglaise at the age of nine. “Without a question, my grandma was the one person in my life who made it enjoyable and comfortable for me to explore my femininity. She wanted me to examine playfully; she wasn’t thinking about anything specific. Looking back, I see now how cutting-edge and current it is.
The Aghion family has always seen play as a teaching tool that stimulates one’s creativity and curiosity rather than as something frivolous or ridiculous. (Aghion’s father is a distinguished economics professor whose lesson plans frequently draw inspiration from thoughtful play and artistic observations.) Even on holidays, family time is nearly always focused on discovering one’s inner self.
Aghion remembers spending a specific holiday with her brother Gaby and Céline Chalem, an Egyptian artist among Gaby’s closest friends. Chalem saw there was a kids’ costume contest going on when they were on the Mediterranean beach.
“With great excitement, she ran back to the hotel where Gaby was staying and said, ‘We have to do this, Gaby!’” Mikhaela must be entered in the tournament! Aghion laughs, “My grandmother said, ‘Okay, yes, but just calm down.’” “They began by opening my grandmother’s trunks and Céline’s jewelry box, which contained only artist-crafted jewelry she had sculpted. They then began throwing things at me and asking me how I felt about each look.” Upon reflection, Aghion recalls that she ultimately seemed “as if by Cleopatra; that is what these two Egyptian women ultimately created.” She won the competition, of course.
Aghion is keen to point out that the house’s history, the belief that play and feminine independence are essential aspects of life, and the notion that clothes shouldn’t be heavy or restricting for a wearer to be taken seriously are all significant contributors to the elegance and allure of the Chloé design philosophy. Aghion points out how basic the early “T-shirt dresses,” as Gaby used to call them, were and are when she talks about them.
She smiled back, saying, “A hand-painted silk T-shirt dress isn’t exactly a T-shirt.” I realized how much the original designs embodied the playful nature of the brand when I first saw pictures of my grandmother wearing some of the pieces.” She remarks on how airy the outfits are. I got to wear one once, and it felt like having nothing on my body rather than being completely.
She says, “I felt like I was just dressed enough—I felt the spirit of that juxtaposition between extremely high luxury and the simplicity of sportswear.”
Several designers are considering spring 2024 with this balance in mind: ladies need clothing that keeps us grounded while letting us explore the world in our ways during this turbulent, discordant, and chaotic time. It is humorous but not sentimental, infusing Aghion’s relationship with her beloved grandma and Chloé’s family’s expansion.
She says, “Chloé is still experimenting with dress codes today.” “We use the word “marriage” a lot. However, it’s a good thing that we don’t call that rigid. You need to indicate that.
Aghion states, “I get excited when I watch the presentations and see evening gowns followed by pieces inspired by workwear that I would love to wear in the afternoon if I paired them with trainers.” Preserving [my grandmother’s artwork] as a singular object or archive is not the goal of preservation. The primary focus these days is research. “It’s not about keeping [my grandmother’s art] as an archive or a specific type of item. The focus of today is research. I’ve been discussing what I believe my grandmother left for Chloé and myself with other people. Instead of providing a strict definition of femininity, she established a playground that her customers could play in.