HEDI Slimane’s second collection for Celine was a testimony to the designer’s talent. His first collection had critics rolling their eyes with the same old rock’n’roll algorithm that he shaped Saint Laurent with, but this season Slimane forgot about the past and went back to the very beginning of Celine. Uncovering designs in the archives, Slimane mixed ’70s classics with the French bourgeoise heritage – proving that their was a Celine prior to Phoebe Philo’s reign.
The Celine woman for autumn- winter will be seen wearing tweed skirts, shirts with pussybow decoration, fitting wool trousers, over-the-top fur coats and a cape. Leather boots have jeans tucked into them accompanied by aviator sunglasses and a trench coat. Slimane is a genius when it comes to creating pieces that will last a lifetime in your wardrobe, and this collection hailed this trait with bags, jackets and shoes having his audience swoon. Over-the-knee boots came in a variety of options; heeled, flat or lined with shearling, a new horsebit belt and a shearling aviator jacket that will become a new classic, having both the Philo fans and the new Celine customer queuing up to buy.
In true Slimane fashion, sequins were back. A culotte suit was made with golden sequins embroidered onto every inch of the fabric and a daytime mid-length dress was created to make you stand out in either sequin or animal print. This time the rocker vibe was toned down. After the dramatic model stampede finale, Hedi Slimane came out to take his bow and was met with an over enthusiastic standing ovation with the audience cheering with approval.
The collection was proof that LVMH’s choice to put Slimane in Celine was nothing short of brilliant – he had us all fooled. Slimane went from the dark and sexy sub-culture designs he knows best, to creating a collection that has reshaped Celine back to its early days.
by Imogen ClarkÂ