Chloë Sevigny’s IYKYK Archive Pull Is Its Own Thesis in Fashion Nerdology

To pass Fashion 101 you have to know that Nicolas Ghesquière is the current artistic director of Louis Vuitton. To graduate with your Fashion Nerd bachelor's degree, you need to demonstrate an encyclopedic knowledge of Ghesquière’s previous work at Balenciaga from 1992 to 2012. To earn your doctorate in True Fashion Fierceness from the Chloë Sevigny School of Infinite Chicness, you have to write your thesis on Ghesquière’s semi-secretive stint as the designer of Italian label Callaghan.

Sevigny herself will be grading your papers, and last night, to celebrate Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2027 show in New York, she took to Instagram to prove why. She showed off a 26-year-old dress that is the ultimate IYKYK archive pull.

First, a little cheat sheet: After being hired to help design licenses, Ghesquière became the creative director of Balenciaga at 26, almost by accident when—according to fashion lore—the previous designer was fired for blasting music by the noisy electro band Add B to (X) a bit too loudly during a show and upsetting editors’ delicate eardrums. Ghesquière breathed new life into the then-sleepy Spanish house and quickly attained a cult following. At the time, fashion houses’ relationships to their creative directors were different, and Ghesquière decided to take a side gig designing for the Italian knitwear label Callaghan. According to the agreement, neither the brand nor the designer could publicly acknowledge the situation, but fashion fans found out anyway and the cult of Ghesquière carried over anyway.

He showed his third collection for Callaghan in New York City. It was the first time the designer would put on a show in America. It was also the last he’d show for Callaghan. The company, then known as Gucci Group, had purchased Balenciaga. Callaghan couldn’t renegotiate Ghesquière’s contract, and eventually went out of business. The rest, of course, is history.

It’s a history that Sevigny knows well. She was there for it all as one of Ghesquière’s first and fiercest celebrity friends. The same month Ghesquière showed his Callaghan collection in New York, she attended the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards as the designer’s date.

So, naturally, to celebrate Ghesquière’s return to New York, Sevigny (presumably) went into her own closet and pulled out one of the standout dresses from his last Callaghan collection. Done in contrasting emerald green and navy blue stripes, the jersey dress remains on-trend twenty-six years after it hit the runway.

“#deepcuts #flex,” she captioned the photo.

Sevigny also wore several of Ghesquière’s Balenciaga designs during his tenure, and continues to be a fan of his work for Vuitton. To sit front row for the show, she opted for a look from Vuitton’s fall 2026 collection. Constructed in a mix of patterns, texture, and fabrics that exemplified Ghesquière’s aim to convey the universal language of fashion.

The fall show was held at the Louvre, a place that hold its own trove of historic treasures. Though, if you’re looking to get that PhD in Fashion Studies, it may not hold as many relevant treasures as Sevigny’s closet.