Rainbow Strappy Heels

A part of the Left Bank intellectual crowd who shared her mother’s fondness for fashion, Chloé cofounder Gaby Aghion was inspired to empower independent working women to break from the conservative dress of the 1950s and don more free-spirited, feminine designs that were appropriate for both work and social life.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Aghion established her fashion house in Paris in 1952 with her business partner Jacques Lenoir to develop her own source of income, separate from her husband’s. She was one of the first designers to embrace the concept of luxury prêt-à-porter as a middle ground between haute couture and off-the-rack for the masses.

In 1964, Aghion hired a fledgling Karl Lagerfeld as a designer. The pair would bring Chloé into the international spotlight with their easy yet glamorous lines that drew such fans as Jacqueline Kennedy. Lagerfeld became the staff creative lead at Chloé in 1974 and stayed with the brand until 1983, during which time he became known for his romantic silk dresses that continued Aghion’s feminine vision and were a favorite of the “rich hippie” set. In 1988, then-unknown designer Martine Sitbon took the helm of Chloé for several years before Lagerfeld returned as creative director from 1992 to 1997, drawing all of the iconic 1990s supermodels to his runway.

After his second departure, Chloé tapped yet another early-career designer to lead the label: a punky 25-year-old Stella McCartney, who earned the position not because of her famous lineage (she’s the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney), but because of her fashion education at Central Saint Martins and work experience on London’s Savile Row and at Christian Lacroix. Following McCartney’s exit to launch her own line in 2001 — not long after introducing the diffusion label See by Chloé that year — Chloé named Phoebe Philo to the post.

Under Philo’s leadership, Chloé expanded from women’s clothing to an accessories line — including handbags — and debuted the legendary Paddington bag in 2005. The padlocked satchel, notorious for weighing a hefty three pounds while empty, became one of the “It bags” of the decade (the brand’s double-handled Marcie holds its own in that regard); the entire 8,000-bag initial production run sold out via preorders.

Philo left Chloé in 2006; her successors include, among others, Clare Waight Kelle and Natacha Ramsay-Levi, who announced that she would be departing the house in late 2020. Part of Chloé’s decades-long lasting influence — which we’d like to speculate would appease Aghion greatly — is the brand’s dedication as a career-launching platform for newbie designers, particularly women.

Browse an extraordinary inventory of vintage Chloé handbags, day dresses, shoes and more on 1stDibs.

Whether they’re Hermès sandals, black Jimmy Choo boots, ivory-leather-and-pink-daisy heels by sublime shoemaker Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin platform pumps, you can find your next pair of legendary luxury vintage and designer shoes today on 1stDibs.

Shoes offered by the likes of Versace, Chanel, Charles Jourdan or Prada are integral to completing your carefully orchestrated street-style or evening ensemble these days, but footwear wasn’t always the big deal it is for your average Adidas enthusiast.

The decorative floor-length gowns that upper-class women of the 18th century wore meant that their shoes, then likely featuring high curved heels finished with woven or embroidered silks — a sharp contrast to the heavy, rudimentary form of the era’s footwear for men — were partially or entirely obscured by the base of their ornate dresses. What good is fashion if it’s tucked away?

Our modern age’s legions of sneakerheads might have trouble tracking down a pair of black-and-gold vintage Jordans but can at least fill their dream closets with original Adidas Gazelles or 1980s New Balances if they put the time in, while 1990s-era Prada pumps or a good pair of mid-20th-century jewel-tone heels in satin or silk haven’t lost their allure with today’s nostalgic fashionistas.

A pair of shoes can commemorate an achievement, mark an important trip overseas and is sometimes a rich manifestation of a hard-won physical feat. On 1stDibs, find Chanel flats or two-tone heels, Christian Dior pumps, vintage Margiela Tabi boots and many more designer shoes today.