The Directorial Work of Fashion Icon and Indie Actress Chloë Sevigny
If you haven’t heard of Chloë Sevigny, you’ve probably seen her somewhere: on Calvin Klein billboards, walking down the catwalk for Simone Rocha in London, or in independent films dealing with complex stories about gender, love, and subcultures. She’s certainly a style icon, celebrated for her experimental, slightly grungy style inspired by skater culture. But beyond her remarkable aesthetic and a career marked by intriguing film roles, there’s another layer to Chloë that’s rarely discussed—her work as a film director.
Let’s go to the beginning. Chloë’s cinematic journey began when a New York fashion editor discovered her at 17, leading her to debut in Larry Clark’s Kids (1995). Her portrayal of a teenager in the gritty New York skate scene gave audiences a glimpse into the raw realities of urban youth and brought Sevigny to the forefront of independent cinema. She earned a reputation as a fearless actress, taking on complex roles that explore social issues, gender, and identity. In Boys Don’t Cry (1999), she played the Oscar-nominated role of Lana, the girlfriend of a transgender man, and in Lars von Trier’s Dogville (2003) she engaged in a theatrical experiment on morality and human nature. Her work with Luca Guadagnino in We Are Who We Are and Bones & All (2022) similarly deals with modern themes of youth, family dynamics, and self-discovery.
In fact, it would be fair to say that her character choices align with her love for underground culture, bringing a cool edge to every character. Her cool-kid aesthetic, appealing to a countercultural sensibility, has made her a muse for designers like Marc Jacobs and got her collaborations with various fashion houses.
Chloë’s artistic expression, however, isn’t limited to acting or playing a role in fashion, expanding into directorial work over the last years. In 2016, Chloë debuted as a director with Kitty, a short film adaptation of a Paul Bowles story about a young girl who imagines transforming into a cat. With a surreal touch, Kitty explores themes of identity, transformation, and the hidden lives of girls—themes that are recurrent in the work of female directors. With this film, Chloë showcased a deeply female perspective—something that was as fulfilling as it was challenging. “It was something that I always wanted to do,” she said to W Magazine, “but it seemed daunting, and I wasn’t sure if I would be good at it. I finally told myself that I just had to bite the bullet and try it!”
Since Kitty, Chloë has continued to explore female-driven stories. Her short film Lypsinka: Toxic Femininity (2024), starring John Epperson, captures the inner world of a drag persona in a blend of camp comedy and existential crisis. Lypsinka: Toxic Femininity reveals Chloë’s talent for pushing boundaries and experimenting with form, resulting in a project that feels like an intricate performance art piece rather than a traditional narrative film. Her preference for complex narratives is also evident in her 2019 Cannes-premiered White Echo, a suspenseful short about a woman’s spiritual connection to the occult. Both films dive into psychological themes, whilst building a distinct visual language that feels both intimate and unconventional.
Discussing her films, Chloë asserts that her directorial work aims to embody a feminine gaze by delving into the emotional and surreal aspects of her subjects with sincerity and empathy. As her characters in Kids and Boys Don’t Cry challenged conventions, her directorial style feels like breaking away from the Hollywood norms to create an artistic space where alternative narratives can thrive. Undoubtedly, her ‘cool-girl’ energy is channelising a rather introspective interpretation of characters—at times seen from a darker lens.
Chloë Sevigny’s role as a female director remains underappreciated—perhaps because of her more commercial success. However, in a male-dominated field, Chloë brings a nuanced, female perspective to her stories, choosing to explore the inner lives, transformations, and emotional depth of her female characters in ways that subvert traditional Hollywood narratives—where female perspectives are still underrepresented.
