Whatever happens to the house of McQueen – and the rumours have already started, with Gareth Pugh's publicist forced to issue a denial that the young English designer had even talked to Gucci Group, McQueen's corporate parent, as the whispers were so loud – the difficulty of moving from one brand vision to another (even if it's because of the quotidian, like retirement, as opposed to the tragic), was on full display on the penultimate day of the women's wear season.
At Chloé, for example, which is on its second designer since its super-buzz days under Phoebe Philo (she resigned to spend time with her family four years ago), creative director Hannah MacGibbon is still struggling to craft a new identity for the house. This season her focus was on camel, and a 1970s Charlie Girl feeling, with large men's coats, flared, high-waisted trousers, and knit sweat suits on the runway.
The only dresses were simple two-beige-tone shifts; the only sparkle came from a bizarre gold-embroidered black-velvet on denim moment, and a sequined herringbone twin set, worn with matching unsequinned trousers.