Celine unveiled its latest collection one week after Paris Fashion Week officially ended and without an actual runway show, but with the spirit of founder Céline Vipiana, and of Twiggy, present throughout.
Instead of a catwalk, Céline designer Hedi Slimane debuted the collection online – via Celine.com, Instagram and YouTube. Beginning with images of the outside of the famous arc, before the action moved inside. Not, though inside the arc, but instead into four entirely different buildings. Knowledgeable Parisians could recognize the most prominent as the Salle Pleyel philharmonic concert hall and the Musée Bourdelle, the atelier museum of early 20th century sculptor Antoine Bourdelle.
Loads of 60s fashion ideas, with crisp, concise and upbeat clothes. Lots of kicky mono-color suits – made with short bolero jackets and miniskirts with front pockets – made in black, white and chocolate, and in wool and leather.
Surgically cut little black dresses or silvery frocks with billowing big statement bows; skirts always cut half-way up the thigh. Everything very short, including the party girl coats in black leather or houndstooth.
Back in 1971, founder Vipiana’s car broke down at the Arc de Tiomphe, giving her the time to admire the monument’s chain links, and subsequently incorporate them in the Céline historic emblem.
Slimane, whom LVMH appointed to helm Céline back in 2018, updated that emblem in a reverse C logo version he termed the Triomphe. It appeared in this virtual show on peaked pillbox hats; gold buttons; retro sunglasses; belt buckles and a great new series of bags.
Overall, there was a sense of very sexy air hostesses emerging from a time capsule – most looks anchored by soldier or space age boots – juxtaposed before Bourdelle’s massive heroic statures. Patent leather bags with gold chains hung over shoulders in a graphic collection, heightened by the Art Deco mosaic floor of the Salle Pleyel. Adding a faint whiff of William Klein’s 1966 cult fashion film Qui êtes-vous Polly Maggoo?
The cast all done up Twiggy style – with dark winged eyeliner, a white waterline and bottom lashes clumped together with mascara. Almost like Twiggy’s French granddaughters had become posh yé-yé singers with pearls. Attired in white embroidered cocktails, golden shard dresses or sparkling jade tank tops – topped by this season’s key material mock fur made of shearling. Each off to meet her Latin lover.
Before this fashion flick climaxed with dashes of couture thanks to sculpted bouffant silk gazar dresses finished with crystals and strass.
The action returning to the Arc de Triomphe, one of France’s most iconic buildings, underneath which each year the President of France lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Where Hedi ended with his own fresh makeover – putting the reverse C logo on the arc’s roof. Nothing terribly revolutionary, but still the coolest wardrobe by any French major house this season.
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