Philo-sophy: How Phoebe Philo's Céline Inspired Modern Fashion, Part 2
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| Phoebe Philo. Source |
In the first part of this series, I looked at the business of handbags — specifically, the businesses that made handbags inspired by Phoebe Philo's Céline. In the second part, I'll be taking at a look at ready-to-wear clothing designers that contain traces of the Céline woman.
Part 2: Ready-to-Wear Designers
“I just thought I’d clean it up. Make it strong and powerful—a kind of contemporary minimalism.”
—Phoebe Philo on her Spring 2010 debut collection for Céline
It's actually quite difficult to generalize Céline clothing under Phoebe Philo with one or two words. Minimalism is a word that is thrown around a lot when it comes to Céline, but I wouldn't say these bold patterns from Spring/Summer 2014 were minimal:
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| Céline Spring/Summer 2014 Runway Collection. Source |
Nevertheless, there are some consistent themes for Philo's Céline woman. While minimal (read: solid colours, not too many prints or patterns) doesn't necessaril apply to all RTW collections, Philo's Céline woman consistently wears not-too-revealing clothing with clean, sharp lines. Continuing with the example above, the collection features bolder colours and patterns, but it also doesn't feature a lot of mini skirts or crop tops. This is in line with Céline's target market, a woman who wants to be taken seriously but still look stylish. Generally, you wouldn't want to show too much skin if you mean business, man or woman. The silhouettes of the clothing above feel like geometric shapes that manage to complement the body perfectly - not too tight, not too shapeless.
Philo strikes a good balance in creating powerful, professional clothing that isn't boring. When she does solid colours, she'll play around with textures, such as in the Spring 2010 collection below. The neutral pieces below are simple, but she adds some interest and edginess by making it out of leather.
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| Céline Spring/Summer 2010 Runway Collection. Source |
With these general themes in mind, let's take a look at some brands and designers who continue to use similar design sensibilities.
PETER DO
Let's start with a designer who worked directly with Phoebe Philo at Céline. Peter Do studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where he won the LVMH Graduates Prize in his final year. He subsequently went on to work for Philo at Céline, and then Derek Lam. In 2018, he launched his eponymous line with the goal of combining Céline's everyday elegance with practicality.[1]
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| Peter Do Ready-to-Wear |
While scrolling through Peter Do's website, I am definitely reminded of many of the same qualities as Philo's Céline. Peter seems to inject a little bit more edginess than Philo did (some pictures I wouldn't feel comfortable posting here), but the inspiration is there.
Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with Peter Do as I am with some of the other brands in this post, so I'll be linking a Vogue article that does a much better job of profiling Peter Do's brand and journey better than I do: Designer Peter Do Is Creating A New Fashion Uniform Worthy Of Old Céline
THE ROW
Prior to founding The Row in 2006, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were already known for their effortlessly chic style. Despite being 5 feet tall, you could often find photos of the twins in oversized coats and sweaters (often paired with giant sunglasses) and never too revealing clothes — a very Céline look.
According to the Olsen twins, The Row was all about quality basics: the best T-shirt with the best fabric, made in America. But if you take a look at The Row's runway collections, it's a little bit more than elevating the basics you'd find at The Gap, Uniqlo or Ann Taylor. For instance, you probably wouldn't find "the best crop top" or "the best mini dress" at The Row. What you would find are long dresses, wool pants, beautiful trench coats, beautiful over coats. In short, you'd find that The Row features graphic silhouettes and lack of exposed skin — remarkably similar to the ones found in Phoebe Philo's Céline collections.
From a 2010 interview with Harper's Bazaar, the longer lengths and layers of The Row was always a part of their style:
Mary-Kate explains, "We've always been attracted to longer—" "Layers, silhouettes," Ashley says, finishing her sentence."When we were growing up, our mother taught us never to have your belly button exposed," Mary-Kate adds. This low-key, tempered sensuality is the spine of their collection. The Row lady doesn't need to put it all out there because she has something going on "in here."
Taking a look at their Fall 2010 runway collection and then their Fall 2020 collection (a decade later), the similarities between The Row and Old Céline are there. The twins themselves are open fans of Phoebe Philo, with Mary-Kate Olsen being photographed multiple times carrying a Céline bag and wearing Céline clothing.
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| The Row Fall 2010 Runway Collection. Source |
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| The Row Fall 2020 Runway Collection. Source |
I'd say that overall The Row woman is a more relaxed version of Phoebe Philo's Céline woman, but the attention to detail and insistence on quality is definitely a characteristic that both brands share. Prices are also similar, with most items clocking in at least the $1,000 USD mark.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
Victoria Beckham's fashion label has been around longer than Phoebe Philo was the Creative Director of Céline, so it wouldn't be fair to say that she was inspired by Céline. Rather, both the Victoria Beckham fashion label and Philo's designs at Céline have a lot in common. This is probably why Victoria Beckham's label is frequently mentioned as an alternative to filling the void that Philo's Céline left behind.
Take a look at any Victoria Beckham runway collection and you'll find a lot of the same things: impeccable tailoring, clean lines, sensible hemlines, realistically wearable clothing. Where The Row might be a more laid-back take on Céline, Victoria Beckham's designs lean prim and proper.
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| Victoria Beckham Spring/Summer 2020 Runway Collection. Source |
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| Victoria Beckham Fall/Winter 2019 Runway Collection. Source |
While the clothing is realistic for the average woman, the prices are not. Personally, I would love to own some Victoria Beckham pieces as they look incredibly high quality and remind me of Old Céline. However, the prices for her ready-to-wear runway collection is simply out of reach for the average woman. A quick look at her S/S 2021 collection on her website shows that nearly every item of clothing is over $1,000 USD. For many women, investing $1,000-$2,000 USD in each piece of tailored clothing is not a wise financial decision. In fact, for a woman in the corporate world (who I assume is her target market), the same amount of money is enough for custom tailored wool suit. This may be the reason why the label continues to generate losses after 11 years in operation.
THE CURATED
On the other end of the spectrum, you have a small independent brand called The Curated whose products are all below the $1,000 USD mark even for their cashmere coats. Similar to the brands featured in my previous post, The Curated started with a single hero product and maintains an exclusively online presence. The reason they can offer high quality products at a lower cost is because they ship directly from the manufacturer and limit brick-and-mortar presence, similar to Polène.
The Céline camel coat has been a staple of Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane's collections for Céline and Celine respectively, for good reason. Throw a tailored camel coat on top of any outfit and you instantly look put together. While Phoebe was not the first person to realize the importance of a camel coat, Céline certainly popularized that concept.
The Curated started with the idea of making the perfect camel coat, in a quality fabric, at an accessible price with sustainable practices. The first product was the Classic Coat, a slouchy oversized wrap coat that could be dressed up or down. The Curated was able to increase its exposure using targeted influencer marketing and expanded into different styles of coats, including several well-priced dupes for popular Max Mara styles.
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| Left: Céline Resort 2010 Collection (Source). Right: The Curated Classic Coat in Camel. |
The Curated is quite evidently a fan of Phoebe Philo's Céline, as one of their modeling photos feature the now discontinued Tri-fold bag:
TOTÊME
Totême was founded by Elin Kling and Karl Lindman in 2014. While the name is French, the designers are Swedish, which is why you'll find that minimal Scandinavian style among their clothing. I would not be able to point to any one piece that feels similar to a Céline runway ensemble, but the colour palette and type of clothing certainly feels very similar to Philo's aesthetic. I'd say Totême is the casual Scandinavian version of the Céline woman, but not nearly as casual as the ultra-cool street style of Acne Studios, as an example.
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| Totême Ready-to-Wear |
Similar to The Curated, Totême aims to provide high quality clothing without the designer prices. At the same time, their prices would not be considered cheap; an oversized cotton T-shirt is still over $100 USD, and their coats are well over $1,000 USD. Still, they are far cheaper than the big luxury brands such as Burberry, Bottega Veneta and of course Céline.
Unlike The Curated, you will find Totême at multiple online stockists such as SSENSE and Matches Fashion, making them far available and accessible.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The process of researching and presenting the specific brands and designers who have been inspired by Old Céline has been an interesting experience. What I found the most fascinating is that you can find touches of Philo's Céline in fashion brands with prices ranging from affordable to ultra high end, with logistics ranging from online-only to brick-and-mortar. I believe this is an indication of the universal appeal of Old Céline. While Phoebe Philo is no longer designing for Céline, it is comforting to see that there is a wide array of options to choose from, at all price points, if you aspire to be a Céline woman.
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