A gloriously quirked eyebrow, a dramatically graphic and long tank, and deliciously flowing pleats opened the Céline Spring 2014 Ready to Wear show. Then, with Look 9, a gold-rimmed cutout appeared over thick soled, tartan trainers (think skateboarder favorite, Vans), the first sighting of new Phoebe Philo leitmotifs. Though Philo, Céline’s Creative Director, is known for a elegantly causal aesthetic, the sporty sneaker, along with a broad, ghillie brogue-like sandal, were almost jarring.
There were familiar boxier silhouettes and dropped shoulders, both happily androgynous. There were dramatic, heavy coats, unlikely in a spring collection, but their soft architectural construction is expected. The primary colors splashed across those coats, the tank tops, and men’s short-sleeved blouses. However, they were unexpected territory. Unanticipated, too, were the hints at Scottish highland dress. A tennis-sweater-like top sits atop voluminous, draped pleats gathered at the hip. Though it crops up in less functional iterations throughout the collection, the metal circle pulls netting and bright yellow fabric together at a shoulder in the spirit of a clansman. Philo’s roots in the British Isles are showing.
Images courtesy Style.com
by Alison Santighian