It is a truth universally acknowledged that we are now fully in the throes of a boho style revival – and that the woman responsible for such a renaissance is Chemena Kamali, the creative director who joined Chloé in 2023.
Seven months ago, we were none the wiser, our wardrobes largely ruffle-less, and anything resembling early-aughts bohemia resigned to attics and storage containers. That was until we first laid eyes on the Maxime wedge – the first glimpse of Kamali's bohemian new Chloé, revealed not on the Autumn/Winter 2024 catwalk, but upon the feet of show guests, including Sienna Miller, Liya Kebede, Kiernan Shipka, Georgia May Jagger, Pat Cleveland and Suzy Bemba.
You couldn't miss the shoes – not only because of their sizeable wedge heels, but also because there was a whole sea of them, front row. It was a moment that was prolifically photographed and shared on social media. A new It shoe – and Kamali's Chloé – was born.
If Maxime seems familiar, it's because it riffs on a shoe first released as part of Phoebe Philo's Spring/Summer 2006 collection for Chloé, which was the former (and much lauded) creative director's swan song for the house. The original iteration featured a similar wooden platform but with T-shaped straps.
This season's Maxime wedge has an even more vertiginous heel than its predecessor, and having tried it on at our shoot, we can confirm it adds a satisfying amount of height. The wood-effect platform is liberally adorned with references to the Maison's heritage, 'like engraved love notes on a tree', including 1952 – the date that Gaby Aghion created Chloé.
It has criss-cross straps in cow's leather, which, importantly, is supplied by a Leather Working Group certified tannery, assessed based on their use of water and energy, chemicals and waste in production. The finishing touch: a Chloé-embossed buckle in gold.
I know a collector's piece when I see one, and Maxime fits the bill. I still bemoan not owning the iconic banana top from Chloé's Spring/Summer 2004 collection. It is now near-impossible to track down, and when it does pop up on the vintage market, it is prohibitively expensive, such is its rarity. I won't make the same mistake with these shoes, which, as part of Kamali's acclaimed debut collection for the maison, have serious collector's appeal.
The shoe comes in black (as worn by the Chloé front rowers) or a warm ginger-brown, both of which are the perfect partners to the house's diaphanous chiffon dresses and majestic tartan maxi coats. The hard part is choosing which pair to invest in.
Shop Chloé's Maxime sandals:
