A truly mini affair is the Chloe KL in-store display

Three dresses in the window form half of the pieces of the Chloé KL exhibition

We agree with the popular saying: beggars must not be choosers. Unable to view Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty in New York, we jumped at the opportunity to see the Chloé KL “exhibition” (the only stop in Southeast Asia) staged in the Chloé store at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, a space that looked smaller than even the foyer of a museum. When we learned that it would be an in-store event for over just three days, we were a little skeptical of how much it could offer those of us who are truly interested in the fashions of the past, or what Chloé considers “pieces from its Archive”. In fact, there were only three truly archival pieces out of the six dresses on display, or the designs of Mr Lagerfeld himself. The other three were from the current season—outgoing creative director Gabriela Hearst’s weak interpretations of Mr Lagerfeld’s designs. With the half-a-dozen dresses in all, you’d easily complete the viewing in less than 10 minutes.

The Chloé store was not busy when we arrived; there was no one. A sales staff stood near the entrance, looking a tad bored and unhelpful until we asked if the three pieces for the window were all the exhibits. He perked up, and said, “no, there are more inside.” We thanked him for the information, and went back out to get a closer look at the dresses. Some of the pieces were accompanied by facsimiles of Mr Lagerfeld’s original drawings. On the left of the entrance were a navy silk crepe dress with a sort of ornamented racer back from the autumn/winter 1983 season and another in ivory, with trompe-l’oeil Grecian drapes. They looked somewhat ’30s and ’20s respectively, and clearly conceived with an artistic eye. To their right was Ms Hearst‘s reimagining of the Bugatti dress from 1983 as a bustier number that she proudly wore at the recent Met Gala. The remake was clearly created for a social media age.

Inside, there were, dismally, three other dresses. They were placed in a straight line, on a narrow platform in the rear recesses of the store, and could have passed off as regular merchandise. Two pieces were by Ms Hearst—one with severe waist cut-outs, worn by American actress Maude Apatow (of Euphoria fame)—also at the recent Met Gala—and the other a white (and longer) version of Mr Lagerfeld’s design next to it, with the torso in the shape of the body of a classical guitar. The former was worn by Olivia Wilde, also at the same gala. In fact, the women, together with Vanessa Kirby (her dress was not present), were outfitted by Chloé. What was surprising to us was how the make of Ms Hearst’s piece that Ms Wilde wore paled in comparison to the original by Mr Lagerfeld. Closer examination revealed puckered seams, a warped waist in the back, exposing the narrow, self-fabric binding, and even messily assembled hook-and-eye atop the centre-back zip. It was hard to imagine that the finishing at Chloé was this far from impeccable. What would Mr Lagerfeld have said?

Chloé stated that this miniest of mini displays was put together “in celebration of the landmark exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” and “to introduce you to some of the most iconic Karl Lagerfeld—designed pieces from its Archive.” We weren’t sure how three dresses from Mr Lagerfeld’s years at the maison were celebratory enough, or even introductory enough. Mr Lagerfeld’s association with Chloé began in 1964. He was then a freelancer until two years later, when he was appointed by founder Gaby Aghion as the creative director, a position he held until 1984, returning to the house in 1992 (nine years after he joined Chanel), and staying on till 1997, after which Stella McCartney took over. Mr Lagerfeld said that he left Chloé because “the atmosphere was no longer creative“. In fact, we think Mr Lagerfeld was at his wittiest at Chloé, bringing together cheeky details (such as sequinned ‘slashes’ on gowns, complete with just-as-glittery scissors) and wacky accessories (which, as the talk went back in the day, he financed for the runway), such as the pin-cushion-as-bracelet, complete with pins!. Unfortunately, none of those were shown at the tiny, boutique affair.

Chloé KL runs from 28—30 July at the Chloé store, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Admission is free. Photos: Chin Boh Kay