Chloe was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion, an Egyptian-born Parisienne. Rejecting the stiff formality of the 50's fashion, she created soft, body conscious clothes from fine fabrics and called them "luxury prêt-à-porter". Unique for their time, they were beautifully made clothes available off the rack.
In 1956, Gaby Aghion and her business partner, Jacques Lenoir, debuted the first collection over breakfast at Cafe de Flore, which, as the city's infamous meeting ground for existentialists and artists, was one of their favorite haunts.
"Chloe" - a name they chose for its warm, feminine appeal - was perfectly in synch with the new mood of Paris: youthful and modern in design, and slightly audacious in spirit.
The label grew in popularity, and Aghion and Lenoir initiated what would become the hallmark of the house: hiring new, young talents to design the collections.
In the 60's, Chloe hothoused a group of youthful Left Bank designers who later defined the Paris ready-to-wear movement, "Le Style".
In 1966, Karl Lagerfeld became the house's head designer, and under his direction Chloe became one of the most iconic fashion brands of the 1970's. Jackie Kennedy and Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas and Grace Kelly all came to Chloe's boutique in the 7ème in search of luxurious daywear. With its romantic, gauzy blouses and long skirts, Chloe defined the look of a generation.
In the 1980s, a series of talented designers including Martine Sitbon kept the collections fresh and ever-changing, whilst reiterating Chloe's quixotic ability to be both cutting-edge and timeless at once.
After the House was bought by the luxury goods conglomerate Richemont Group in 1985, its notoriety grew around the globe.
In 1997, Stella McCartney reinvented Chloe once more, with a romantic yet streetwise mix of vintage lingerie, tailoring, and signature low-rider trousers that hit a nerve with young women around the world and propelled the house to a new level of success.
After Stella's departure to launch her own line, her former assistant, Phoebe Philo, was named Creative Director and between 2001 and 2006 she continued the Chloe legacy of luxurious, audacious prêt-à-porter, whilst stamping the house with her own unique signature: sexy daywear, fluid lines, graceful and distinctly modern diaphanous tops.
On October 11, 2006, five days after the Spring/Summer '07 show, a new Chief Designer was appointed, Paulo Melim Andersson, formerly of Marni.
On March 10th, 2008, former Assistant Director to Valentino, Hannah MacGibbon, whose talent was first spotted by Phoebe Philo and who had been part of the Chloe design team since 2001 and Chloe Chief Designer since 2006, was appointed as the new Creative Director at Chloe.
- source wikipedia
Below is a list of the best Chloe designed bags for purchase.