Philo-sophy: How Phoebe Philo's Céline Inspired Modern Fashion, Part 1

Phoebe Philo. Source

As many fashion insiders know, Phoebe Philo was the Creative Director of Céline from 2008 to 2018. Throughout the 2010s, Phoebe produced hit after hit ready-to-wear collections and completely reinvigorated the Céline brand. Although LVMH does not break down sales of individual brands, analysts estimated she grew Céline’s annual revenue to €700 to €800 million ($949 million)^[1]. After a decade at the helm, Philo stepped down in 2018, much to the fashion industry's chagrin. LVMH appointed Hedi Slimane as the new Creative Director of Céline thereafter, creating a fan divide between "Old Céline" (Philo) and "New Celine" (Slimane).

While opinions are mixed on Hedi Slimane's Celine, Phoebe Philo's work was all but unanimously praised. Phoebe brought a fresh take on the modern woman. Her ready-to-wear collections were characterized by clean lines, quality fabrics and sensible amounts of exposed skin. Her clothes looked comfortable, yet elegant — wearable. Phoebe wanted women to feel powerful and confident in Céline clothes, a contrast to heavily sexualized imagery that dominated much of the 2000s. 

Céline 2015 Ad Campaign. Source

It also helped that Céline churned out it bag after it bag, such as the Luggage Tote, Phantom Tote and Trapeze, to name a few. In fact, many of Phoebe's Old Céline bags are still available at New Celine.

Celebrities wearing the Céline Luggage Tote. Source

In fact, I would go so far to say that Phoebe Philo's Céline has completely transformed and shaped modern fashion for women. As Miranda Priestly would say, fashion trickles down from the top into other designers' collections and into fast fashion. There are those who worked under Phoebe Philo at Céline, such as Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta and Peter Do. Both of these designers are currently enjoying popularity as they are often offered as an alternative to Philo's Old Céline.

There are also a number of other designers who have created entire successful businesses based off of Old Céline aesthetics, which is a real testament to the power of Phoebe Philo. Don't believe me? Here is a look at some of the many brands that take inspiration from Phoebe Philo's creative direction at Céline.

This is all, of course, my opinion only and I'm not trying to say that these designers are ripping off Phoebe Philo. Rather, they share many common elements of Philo's Céline and put their own spin on it.

Part 1: Handbag Designers

Handbags tend to be a popular luxury item because you don't need to be a specific size and shape to wear them, unlike clothing. A nice bag is a nice bag, but a nice dress may not look the same on different people. It is worth starting off with Céline handbags as they remain some of the most recognizable and popular products of the French fashion house.

While fast fashion retailers such as Zara and H&M will always copy popular bag designs, I will be focusing specifically on brands that became famous for producing handbags inspired by Philo's Céline.

BOTTEGA VENETA

As mentioned earlier in this post, Daniel Lee previously worked under Phoebe Philo at Céline. He started as a member of the design team in 2013, and became the director of ready-to-wear after Philo resigned in late 2017^[2]. He was then appointed the Creative Director of Bottega Veneta in July 2018.

Bottega Veneta is known for more than just handbags, but like many luxury brands, the handbags put the brand on the map. Almost as soon as Daniel Lee joined Bottega Veneta, his handbags started popping up all over social media. There was the Pouch, a giant pillowy clutch that looked like a soft leather dumpling. While the Pouch is a very chic looking bag, his link to Phoebe Philo and the fact a similar model was released in the Céline Spring/Summer 2018 runway collection no doubt contributed to the hype.

Bottega Veneta Intrecciato Pouch in Bordeaux

Céline Purse Clutch (discontinued). Source

Then there was the Cassette bag, a fun and fresh take on the intrecciato leather weaving that Bottega was known for. There was the Arco tote, also a play on intrecciato but with a silhouette that feels very similar to the Céline Belt Bag.

Bottega Veneta Small Arco Tote in Caramel

Celine Nano Belt Bag in Tan Crocodile Embossed Calfskin

The "New Bottega" feels a lot like "Old Céline", in that every new bag seems to do no wrong and dupes immediately pop up at high end, contemporary and fast fashion designers. Take Mansur Gavriel, who released the Cloud Clutch in 2020 after the Pouch took off in 2019. Take Massimo Dutti, who has a lower priced version of the re-designed Mini Jodie. Take a look at H&M or Zara and you're sure to find a dupe of the Cassette bag.

While the Céline woman was A Thing^TM (the technical term), there isn't necessarily the concept of a Bottega Veneta woman yet. A Céline woman could be a business woman, corporate executive or elegant socialite — a powerful woman with important things to do. This was reinforced by the fact that Phoebe Philo created hits across all product lines, from Céline ready-to-wear to Céline handbags to Céline jewelry. Currently Bottega Veneta is enjoying success primarily in its leather goods lines as opposed to establishing a style persona, but with good reason. Leather goods at the core of Bottega Veneta; the brand even opened a school for their leather artisans focusing solely on the intrecciato weaving technique^[3]. That said, there are certainly gems in Lee's ready-to-wear collections, such as this glorious trench coat. 

Whether New Bottega will reach the heights of Old Céline is yet to be determined, but Daniel Lee's current influence on handbags is hard to overlook. There will naturally be great expectations after achieving success in a short amount of time, but something tells me Daniel Lee will live up to it. After all, he is the first and only designer to win four awards at the CFDA.

SENREVE

Senreve was founded in 2015 by Coral Chung and Wendy Wen, two San Francisco-based entrepreneurs. Their goal was to create the perfect work bag, one that was elegant as it was functional. This became the Senreve Maestra Bag, a beautifully constructed leather bag that had could hold work essentials (such as a laptop) and could even be converted into a backpack.

When I first saw the Maestra Bag, I thought it was very similar to the Céline Belt Bag, which was first introduced in 2014. In particular, the shape and flap are nearly identical. 

Senreve Maestra Bag in Pebbled Ice

Céline Micro Belt Bag in Mineral

As someone who works in the corporate world, I struggled with finding the perfect work bag that looked elegant but also fit my laptop, lunch and essentials. The Céline Belt Bag seemed to fit the bill, but many reviews advise not to load it up with a laptop as it would get damaged and lose its shape. Senreve's Maestra Bag feels like an answer to all of the Belt Bag's downsides, with convertible straps as a bonus. Unsurprisingly, the Maestra became Senreve's hero product and remains their most popular bag model.

Of course, there's a lot more to Senreve's business model than a nice bag. Unlike traditional luxury fashion houses, Senreve is focused on an exclusively online presence, with a few showrooms in key markets. This is reflected in their marketing, as they focus very heavily on influencer advertising. This approach allowed them to target a younger and wider audience than a lot of other brands. Furthermore, their products are generally around the $1,000 USD mark, which is much more affordable than the $2,000+ USD bags from Céline and others. Still luxury, but more attainable.

Senreve has sinced branched out into other products and other styles of bags, including a vegan line. They maintain the same minimal feel that Philo's Céline did, but still have a very distinct Senreve design sensibilities. Every single one of their bags is intended to be a workhorse, whereas I feel Céline bags are often design first, practicality second.

POLÈNE

Polène is a Parisian leather goods brand founded in 2016 by two brothers and a sister. Polène products are handcrafted by expert artisans in Spain using quality materials, and are known for incorporating folds into most of their designs. 

On their website, they name specific inspirations such as Madeleine Vionnet, Mariano Fortuny and Madame Grès - but I see a lot of Phoebe Philo in their designs as well. Specifically, you'll notice that Polène sticks to neutral colours and rarely does bright greens or pinks. While Old Céline was not averse to colour, the ready-to-wear collections were known for their fabulous neutral tones. Check out Philo's first collection for Céline, which is full of beiges, blacks and creams.

While I wouldn't be able to point to any one Céline bag the way I would with the Senreve Maestra, there are definitely aspects of Polène's bags that remind me of Philo Céline. Take the Numero Un for example - the top handle, closure and folding sides remind me of the Trapèze.

Polène Numero Un in Trio Camel

Céline Medium Trapeze Bag (discontinued). Source

I also thought Polène's Le Cabas bag was reminiscent of Céline's Tri-fold and Phantom Cabas styles, though still with Polène's own spin on it:

Polène Le Cabas in Camel

Céline Medium Tri-fold Bag (discontinued). Source

Celine Small Phantom Cabas in Taupe

The appeal of Polène is that they not only produce luxurious products with beautiful designs, but at an accessible price point. None of their bags are over the $500 USD mark, despite the fact that you could link many of their designs to Céline, The Row, and Bottega Veneta whose bags run from $2,000 USD and up. Like Senreve, part of why Polène can offer these prices is their direct-to-consumer, exclusively online model. They have a limited brick-and-mortar presence, with a single showroom in Paris.

Polène has been killing it lately with all of their recent releases, which seem to lean more towards Bottega Veneta and The Row styles, but I do think it all started with Philo Céline and evolved from there. I personally have been keeping an eye on Polène and eagerly await what they do next!

WANDLER

Wandler is a relatively new handbag brand that was launched in 2017 by Elza Wandler. While the brand has only been around for a few years, it has managed to gets its bags into the inventory of multiple online retailers, such as Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, and 24S to name a few. Wandler got Insta-famous off of its Hortensia bag, a round bag with dramatic "wings" on the side. In a way, it's a round version of the Céline Trapeze bag.

Wandler Hortensia Medium Bag in Marine

Celine Medium Trapeze in Sea

In this Business of Fashion article, Wandler initially launched with the Hortensia bag, Anna bum bag, and Lotta tote. Of those three bags, only the Hortensia is still available on its website and other retailers. Other bags have cycled through Wandler's collections, but perhaps the Old Céline vibes of the Hortensia has ensured its staying power as a classic.

JUNE 2021 UPDATE: Continuing the Phoebe Philo inspiration, Wandler has pre-released the Penelope bag, available on Matches Fashion and Luisa Via Roma. Céline Frame bag vibes, anyone?

Wandler Penelope Leather Shoulder Bag

Celine Frame Bag (discontinued). Source

KAAI

KAAI is a small independent handbag brand started by two women in Antwerp, Belgium. Similar to Senreve, their initial goal was to create the perfect elegant work bag, and gradually expanded to making functional bags in general. KAAI's Hero Bag is yet another practical answer to the Céline Belt Bag, while the Pyramid Bag feels like a practical answer to the Tri-fold (both pictured earlier in this post). Prices are similar to Senreve, around the $1,000 USD mark.

KAAI Mini Hero Bag in Terracotta

KAAI Pyramid Bag in Black

LÉO et VIOLETTE

Léo et Violette was started by their eponymous founders in 2013 and offer bags, smaller leather goods, and shoes for both men and women. I noticed that they not only follow the minimal trend, but also provide lower priced alternatives to much adored Céline styles.

The Nova bag is offered in two sizes and feels extraordinarily similar to the Céline Classic Bag (often called the Box bag due to its shape). They have removed a lot of the internal compartments of the Classic Bag, making it more practical and functional.

Léo et Violette Nova Bag in Black

Celine Medium Classic Bag in Black

Another handbag from Léo et Violette that caught my eye was the Elegant Bag, which feels very similar to the Céline Clasp Bag. While this style of bag has been around for decades, it was not necessarily a popular one in the 2010s. Even as an Old Céline style, the Clasp Bag is considered pretty underrated.

Léo et Violette Elegant Bag in Bordeaux

Céline Clasp Bag (discontinued). Source

While the rest of the brand's collection couldn't be pointed at any specific Céline bag, the minimal branding and clean lines keeps within the overall theme of Old Céline. It seems like the Parisians do love their minimal style!

FINAL THOUGHTS

The fact that independent handbag designers such as Senreve and Polène can become popular is a tribute to how desirable the Old Céline image is to the average woman. The average working woman wouldn't be able to afford a $2,000 bag, but they might be able to go for a bag in the $300-$1,000 range that looks very similar.

In the next part in this series, I'll be looking at brands that were inspired by Céline ready-to-wear clothing. A few brands that come to mind include The Curated, Victoria Beckham and The Row. If you think of any other brands that produce either handbags or clothing inspired by Phoebe Philo, please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below!