Gentlewoman Style: New Celine AW19
Funny isn’t it, how quickly one adapts. In one season the media and public have flipped from hating Hedi’s take on Celine to kind of loving it.
When Hedi Slimane showed his first vision of new Celine, Phoebe Philo’s fan club were bereft. They swarmed to Vestiaire Collective to buy up whatever Phoebe-era #oldceline bags and shoes they could get their hands on, freaking out that her conceptual-lite aesthetic had been obliterated by evil Hedi in place of – the horror! – generic luxury tropes of the sort he’d previously produced at Saint Laurent.
Six months later though, they’ve calmed down and come round. Admittedly the Hedi aesthetic has shifted somewhat; it’s less new-wave-meets-nu-rave and more bourgeois Parisienne circa 1975. So if you love the retro boots-over-jeans, cashmere sweater and Cutler & Gross aviator look (I’ve dug mine out already), this is a safe but sexy way to go.
As Tim Blanks at Business of Fashion points out, it’s not original, but what Hedi does well is hone a look or a piece to the most perfect iteration of itself. We’re experiencing turbulent times in the world and when that happens, we either retreat to fantasy or familiarity. Hedi’s ticking the safe familiarity box and I’m sure his bosses at LVMH will be thrilled. Looks like the customers will be too.
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Celine Aw19 via Vogue Runway
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3 March, 2019 @ 9:08 am
I think someone upstairs must have had a word ! It looked like he was cocking a snook at The Powers That Be to me — “You want something more low-key? I’ll just go and have a look in the archive ……” Sadly it all rather highlighted his ability to create a “look” rather than be a visionary designer. Still, silver lining, it might have been uninspiring and lazy designing but at least it wasn’t tacky 80s …….
3 March, 2019 @ 3:16 pm
Totally agree with Sue Evans – if you want this look go to APC or Vanessa Seward, there’s nothing original here