HEDI SLIMANE‘s appointment at Celine not only caused a seismic shift within the fashion industry, it also caused the designer to re-centre himself, picking up his bags in California after a decade, and returning back to France. Picking the Gulf of Saint Tropez as his new home, the past five years has seen him explore the French coast and delve into uncovering the nostalgia of various towns to influence the aesthetic of Celine’s city driven heritage.
Combining the Saint-Germain-des-Près codes of the Parisian brand, and remaining unwaveringly true its heritage motifs, the couturier’s spring-summer womenswear 2023 collection was unveiled in his new hometown via film. Centred around Villa Kerouac, Slimane’s beach house, and to the sound of long-time friends and collaborators, The Libertines, the synonymous rock’n’roll heartbeat to the creative director’s design language found itself nestled in the Riviera’s sand.
While SS23 seems to be marked with this idea of returning, or even full cycles as this collection is the conclusion to his tour of the showing in the South, going from Monaco and Nice, to now, finally Saint-Tropez, Slimane revives ‘the original skinny jeans’ that he created in the early noughties.
Coining a silhouette that would inevitably influence an entire generation and find itself as the uniform for British and American rock between 2000-2007, his re-edition for Celine welcomes the jean in a low-rise cut, in Japanese blue and black denim. Also, adhering to the music-side of his audience, the skinny trouser is also made in a supple lambskin leather version, bringing that edge to the House.
While these additions to Celine’s repertoire may be new, they have been styled in a way to fit the more refined, clean taste of its consumers by pairing them with the classic Ballerina flats, Tropézienne sandals and Mary Janes, as well as the Babies – a hotly anticipated debut of Celine’s new Biker Boot.
In keeping with the setting and season, Slimane offered plentiful pieces to mix and match with. Combining the nautical feel by offering triangle-shaped swimming tops in either jersey material or hand-crotched, with Celine’s modern flare, blazers and leather jackets, the pairing of the two created a stark juxtaposition playing with bare skin and heavy fabrics. SS23 brings with it a narrower fit, as outerwear was reimagined in slimmer silhouettes, and shorts and mini skirts were worn at the low hip.
Continuing to address a younger audience with his collections for Celine, there is a dogmatic nature to Slimane’s design approach. Through creating wearable separates that are rooted in a proven history of style and culture, he is able to create pieces that will last the Celine woman every summer onwards, enabling her to pick whether she wishes to abide by the classic, Parisian look rooted in the brand, or prefers to rock out on a yacht with The Libertines – both are doable at Celine.
by Imogen Clark