Chloe says it with printed flowers in Paris show

PARIS (AP) — Chemena Kamali said it with flower prints. A good old-style collection that set a few themes on the table and spent the rest of the Paris Fashion Week Sunday show refining them — proof that focus can still feel new.

Kamali, now in her third stint at Chloé, knows the house from the inside. German-born like Karl Lagerfeld, she worked here under both Phoebe Philo and Clare Waight Keller before returning as creative director last year.

Chloé was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and is widely credited with inventing Parisian ready-to-wear — a freer, more feminine alternative to couture. Kamali’s vision taps that core: the romantic lightness and movement Aghion set in motion; Lagerfeld’s ’70s capes and lace; the 2000s “Chloé girl” ease; flashes of Stella McCartney’s wit. The project remains clothes by women, for women — “intuitive” dressing that evolves like life itself.

The prints weren’t just pretty; they set the tempo. Then the silhouette widened: a trapeze line in pearlized yellow, coats and skirts layered, knotted, and lightly gleaming — surface alive, structure calm. Color and the clean flash of leg kept the message Chloé: feminine without fuss.

One pastel look crystallized the mood — draped, ruched, pleated — its ’80s maxi-shoulders and dropped waist drawing a long, confident line.

The dropped hem returned in a gray coatdress with quiet authority. A tan coat-skirt, waist cinched, hovered between coat and dress and didn’t need to choose. Frills and belts threaded through like a house refrain.

The references were tuned rather than shouted: Lagerfeld’s ’70s fluidity, the 2000s “Chloé girl,” a measured dose of ’80s structure to ground the float. It read as memory put to work.

A caution remains. When shoulders harden and outerwear gains weight, Chloé’s natural freshness can dim. Here, that heft mostly served the line, though a couple of exits pressed the limit.

Still, the sum was clear and persuasive: romance with discipline, past speaking to present, ideas carried through instead of piled on. Chloé, steadying its rhythm — and selling the feeling as much as the clothes.

A model wears a creation as part of the Chloe Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A model wears a creation as part of the Chloe Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Designer Chemena Kamali acknowledges applause after the Chloe Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Models wear creations as part of the Chloe Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A model wears a creation as part of the Chloe Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)