FEMININITIES CURATED BY NATACHA RAMSAY-LEVI
Femininities Curated By Natacha Ramsay-Levi is the second printed matter project by A Magazine Curated By in conjunction with the Hyères Fashion, Photography and Accessories Festival (2019), after Nudes Curated By Julien Dossena (2016), photographed by Coco Capitan inside the Villa Noailles. It was commissioned by Chloé as the brand’s first-ever #Chloezine published in a limited edition of 3,000 copies.
Inspired by the collective spirit of the artistic and literary figures who surrounded both Chloé founder Gaby Aghion and Marie-Laure de Noailles, a renowned patron of the arts, the 100-page collectible document meanders through a collection of texts and poems in English and French alongside journal entries by Natacha Ramsay-Levi and Gaby Aghion. Channeling the solar spirit of the Chloé Summer 2019 collection, a mesmerizing portfolio of images photographed by Gareth McConnell and styled by Camille Bidault-Waddington depicts a trio of free-spirited Chloé girls in constant movement. Artistic contributions by Chloé collaborators from Rithika Merchant, Marion Verboom and Isabelle Cornaro join texts by Ramsay-Levi’s heroes including Judy Chicago, René Char, and Valentine Schlegel, as well as a scrapbook by jeweler Ligia Dias, a close friend and collaborator.
Further exploring links with the Villa Noailles, Femininities Curated By Natacha Ramsay-Levi features stills from Man Ray’s 1929 film Les Mystères du Château du Dé filmed in and around Hyères showcasing the very same indoor swimming pool in which Chloé unveils Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s fashion exhibition 90 years later. Closing the document, a 24-page carnet of blank writing paper dotted with feminist quotations allows festival attendees and readers at home to add their own thoughts and memories to their Chloé zine.
“For Proust, clothing was as a way of communicating things unsaid to the world and to others. The garment is imbued with meaning above and beyond itself, as appearance is the first link to a personality, to an identity. It is the first way we present ourselves to the world. Then there is a sequel: a promise, desires and dreams.” Natacha Ramsay-Levi
Contributors
Camille Bidault-Waddington, Céline Chalem, Gaby Aghion, Gareth McConnell, Hélène Ahrweiler, Jane Graverol, Joyce Mansour, Judy Chicago, Julia Kristeva, Ligia Dias, Mai-Thu Perret, Man Ray, Marguerite Duras, Marion Verboom, Maya Angelou, Max Papart, Raphael Hefti, René Char, Rithika Merchant, Valentine Schlegel, William Blake.
CURATOR: Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Creative Director, Chloé
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dan Thawley
EDITOR (French texts): Pauline Klein
GRAPHIC DESIGN : Adulte Adulte
EDITOR AT LARGE: Blake Abbie
MANAGING EDITOR: Thérèse Boon Falleur
PUBLISHER: Evence-Charles Coppée, A Publisher (Belgium)