For Resort 2026, Chemena Kamali continues to reframe Chloé’s legacy through a lens of precision and purpose. Drawing from a mosaic of references—early ’80s avant-garde cinema, moody German photography, and vintage Karl Lagerfeld-era runway images—Kamali channels a season that feels rooted in narrative, yet rigorously styled for the present.

At the core of this collection is a distinct pivot toward structure. Where Chloé has long embodied a breezy, bohemian elegance, Kamali proposes a silhouette with bite: rounded shoulders, cropped leather bombers, Spencer jackets, and sharply pleated trousers all anchor a wardrobe that’s quietly assertive. The softened tailoring is imbued with a sense of control rather than aggression—confident rather than loud.

Kamali’s designs aren’t a disavowal of Chloé’s romantic history; rather, they refine it. Blouses and sweaters remain fluid in feel, rendered in silky fabrics that skim the body, but they’re punctuated by exaggerated shoulder lines or bold prints—polka dots, abstract florals—that inject personality. The palette, too, skews more nocturnal than sun-drenched, with deep burgundy, petrol blue, forest green, and ochre nodding to the cooler months in which Resort collections are often worn.

Outerwear is a standout focus. Squishy plongé leather puffers, boxy shearling chubbies, and structured woolen peacoats convey both comfort and command. These are clothes meant to move through the world with intent, grounded by vintage inspiration but modern in execution.

Accessories echo the collection’s recalibration. The brand’s signature charms, previously oversized and whimsical, have been scaled back, allowing the silhouettes of the bags themselves—like a new streamlined bowling shape—to stand out. Footwear follows suit, with sturdy retro clogs adding a grounded finish to the overall look.

Kamali’s choice of photographer, Johnny Dufort, underscores her cinematic vision. His lens captures the moody lighting, expressive poses, and off-kilter glamour that her extensive mood boards so meticulously laid out. The visual result is both stylized and raw—fashion that tells a story without relying on nostalgia alone.

In rethinking the DNA of Chloé, Kamali isn’t abandoning the house’s codes—she’s clarifying them. Resort 2026 unfolds like a character study: powerful, introspective, layered. Each piece suggests a woman with agency and imagination, a subject rather than an object—much like the women in the films that shaped this collection. It’s a thoughtful evolution for Chloé, one that swaps wistfulness for resolve, without ever losing its feminine edge.