Make “Céline” Great Again

The demise of the minimalistic, feminine, structural, and benign yet powerful era of Celine is approaching its 2 year anniversary. And yes, we are still very much upset about it.

When word spread of Phoebe Philo’s departure from Céline, we grieved over the fate of this beloved brand. And when it was announced that her successor would be Hedi Slimane, we surmised that this veteran designer could at least fulfill some type of loyalty to Célines minimalistic properties. (spoiler alert: we were wrong)

Both of Slimane’s previous Creative Director positions were at Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007. And then at Yves Saint Laurent, from 2012 to 2016. His Dior Homme era is infamously known for its Mick Jagger, grunge inspiration; and during his time with Yves Saint Laurent, similarly dark themes were noticeably recurrent. It's hard to imagine that someone with this track record wouldn’t at least ATTEMPT to switch it up, but once again, it was our fault to assume.

While it is understandable that the role of a creative director is to transform the look of a brand to fit their vision. There are important elements to a brand that should always be held with pride. Such as, a brand's identity. When we name a brand, we associate characteristics and qualities along with it. And as time progresses, we look to see a gradual transformation during that specific creative directors time with the brand. And what Phoebe Philo was able to accomplish during her time at Céline, was instrumental to the brand's current success and relevance.

Joining towards the end of the Y2K era of layered, mismatched, colorful, and comfortable clothing, she revived simplicity in its most elegant form. She used bold unicolored fabrics to create professional, structured, and flowing pieces. Her accessories are also notable to the brand, a favorite of many celebrities, with multiple accessory trends attributed by her designs.

Now what can I say about Hedi Slimane? ._. He’s obviously the person who has a hard time letting go after relationships end. His debut for Celine was the Spring 2019 Ready to Wear show (notice I typed Celine instead of Céline, Slimane removed the accent from the logo). This show was highly anticipated and highly critiqued. If I had one word to describe the show, I would say…a mess. And I wasn’t the only person who came up with this consensus. The debut collection showcased pieces that were dark, gothic and 80’s influenced. All a similar reminisce of his time at Yves Saint Laurent. And completely opposite of anything Phoebe Philo had done during her time there. And while Yves Saint Laurent continues to thrive off the Paris after dark concept, the foundations of Celine do not support it. Nearly 95% of the outfits presented were all black, with the only source of colors or variation being sequined dresses and asymmetrical structured designs. This wasn’t groundbreaking or creative. The show looked rushed. The flux of the show lacked focus as well. This expensive looking brand, gave cheap and tacky looks similar to many other brands, which instantly takes away the uniqueness and identity of Celine. Nothing stood out.

What people hate the most about minimalism is the idea that it is “simple”, “boring” or “not enough,” but what GOOD minimalistic fashion provides is a way to showcase creative, chic, feminine and gentle outfits in a way that shows less is more. This is what made Celine so iconic, as well as Victoria Beckham, The Row, or Bottega Veneta. They are successful brands that have used simplicity in their colors in order to emphasize the flow, fabric or size of the item. What is done to the item itself, whether enlarged, structured, weaved or cut out, all contribute to the flow and aesthetic of a show. This in itself makes minimalist fashion harder to achieve, which is why it deserves more credit! So while a show may incorporate a million designs, and mismatched layers of clothing, that doesn’t necessarily make a show great or memorable. What contributes to the memorability of a show is the audience's ability to make note of a consistent theme, relative patterns that are used throughout the show, or a show setting that boldly compliments the designs being showcased. When a show is all over the place, there is no way to compensate for the outcome. Either it’s going to make sense or it's not, and unfortunately this debut did not.

While another show has passed under Hedi Slimane’s leadership, the Fall 2019 Ready to Wear collection, it was apparent the criticism against his debut show was taken into consideration. This show included a colorful variation of accessories, bold statement pieces, faux fur, denim and softer layers of clothing. While this still isn’t a minimalistic dream, it is still Slimane's own vision, moving in a positive direction. Many pieces and accessories stood out, in their own SoHo vibe. And that reaffirms, that grunge has a harder time standing alone when the subjects of it are repetitive. It leaves little room for change, variation or innovation for the brand. And while Hedi Slimane disappointed in his debut, his follow up show made up for it, big time. This may have started as an obituary, but Slimane's new take leaves me hopeful. This recent collection felt fresh, modern and very chic, all characteristics of Celine provided by his predecessor. And brought back to life in his new collection. While it’s not all what I expected it to be, Celine still holds weight regardless of who is behind it. And that is why I am confident, Celine will uphold chicness no matter who tries to reinvent, because that is the base of the brand, and a strong association to its identity.