Following Chloë Sevigny’s surprise cameo at Proenza Schouler last weekend, we look back at the actress’s best fashion moments, from Miu Miu to Simone Rocha
There’s cool, and then there’s Chloë Sevigny. Blessed with a jawline no surgeon could match and a boyish mystique, New York’s original 1990s ‘It girl’ could make filing a tax return look chic. Little wonder, then, that the Larry-Clark-muse-turned-fashion-icon has been cropping up on the runway far and wide in recent times.
Of course, beyond serious subcultural capital and a resume listing parts in American Psycho and American Horror Story, and Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, Sevigny has long been a part of fashion folklore. From her halcyon days interning at Sassy magazine to campaigns for Chloé (the brand), the indie femme fatale’s entrenchment in the rag trade has also birthed some serious catwalk action.
Below, we share a list of the American actress’s finest slays.
Proenza Schouler Autumn/Winter 2023
Even the stiffest-lipped editors will admit that Chloë Sevigny opening and closing Proenza Schouler’s most recent show was a moment. A contemporary of designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough some 20 years ago, Sevigny made the perfect fit for a brand rooted in the elegance and practicalities of a female New Yorker. Indeed, the former Parsons students went as far to soundtrack their show with Sevigny’s dulcet tones. Throughout, she narrated a stream of consciousness, perhaps an homage to the transient toing and froing between parties and gallery openings living in the city requires. Clad in a leather skirt, bunched lady-killer boots, and a cinched blazer, she nailed the minimalism needed for a life of maximalism.
Mugler Spring/Summer 2022
When Mugler dropped a fashion film with Megan Thee Stallion and Miss Sevigny cast as leads, the result could only be magic. Joined by a roll call of cameos from Shalom Harlow to Bella Hadid, Megan served up Y2K gold, replete in flaunty denims, while Sevigny went 90s grunge, rocking an ombré corseted dress and whale-tail thong beneath. Later, in the sexed-up short, Sevigny death dropped in leather-stocking stilettos, her ponytail swirling in flight. Add to this her angsty brown lipstick and Casey Cadwallader’s sculptural shoulders, and the film made an aptly irreverent farewell to the late Thierry Mugler. It’s what he would have wanted.
Simone Rocha Autumn/Winter 2019
After walking in Simone Rocha’s A/W19 show, Sevigny told Vogue she doesn’t like doing runways. Whether this was her playing it cool is a question for another time, but one thing is sure: she killed it. Here, Sevigny’s bralette sat atop a bleached-pink sheer dress embellished with pearls and ruffles aplenty, a look that combined lacey Harajuku aesthetics and frump in a dissection of female sexuality and its ownership. As it goes, Sevigny and Rocha are buddies, and their red-carpet collaborations date back as far as the 2016 Met gala. Here’s to more Sevigny-Rocha crossovers.
Miu Miu Resort 2019
Walking to the shops the morning after the night before requires a certain look. Depending on whether you’re leaving the party or have just woken up after some low-level sleep, an outfit akin to Sevigny’s Miu Miu number is always a winner, serving glamourous dishevelment in buckets. Anchored with a leather peplum top and hotpants, the ensemble was finished with a matronly floral blouse on top and some bijou, baby-pink rosette heels. Riffing on the theme of spontaneity, the show brought combined babydoll dresses, nighties and fluffy slippers with Studio 54 leopard print, platform heels and evening gowns, a dichotomy Sevigny knows well from her heady past.
Miu Miu Spring/Summer 1996
Hot on the heels of Larry Clark’s Kids, the cult film that skyrocketed Sevigny’s career, the model-cum-actor was cast for one of Miu Miu’s first major shows, held in New York City’s Bryant Park. Leading the procession in a medical-blue zip-up polo and trousers, the androgyne was joined by her UK counterpart, Kate Moss, in a collection of utilitarian staples. With plenty of outfit changes, she later showcased Mrs Prada’s early forays into ugly-chic style, sporting a rusty-orange biker and prep-school shorts. After came more risqué numbers, including the bare-all chiffon skirt and barely-there spaghetti top that – perhaps intentionally – washed her out. Certainly, any suspicion of intentional gawkiness was confirmed by Bryant Park’s pallid granny sandals.