To say that Michael Rider’s Celine debut held in Paris on the eve of Couture Week was a highly anticipated moment would be an understatement. Hedi Slimane leaves big shoes to fill, and Rider is something of a blank slate—even to many industry professionals—so it was hard to know quite what to expect. Before his appointment at the LVMH-owned maison, Rider kept a low profile, most recently as the creative director of Polo Ralph Lauren, where the founder is the go-to spokesperson, and before that, he served as Celine design director during the Phoebe Philo era. Adding to the intrigue, Rider’s debut coed show also marked Celine’s long-awaited return to the runway since 2023, as Slimane had taken to revealing collections via cinematic short films in recent years.
Would this be one of those epochal shifts as when Slimane lobbed off Celine’s accent aigu in 2018 and transformed what had been a beloved artfully nonconformist label into a truly global juggernaut with his savvy mash-up of bourgeois tailoring and indie rock cool? The first clue that Rider intends a slower, but no less profound, evolution came via the invitation. A thick piece of gold foil-edged cardstock arrived wrapped in a classic silk scarf that wouldn’t have looked out of place among founder Céline Vipiana’s own midcentury designs. It had been carefully knotted by Emiko Oguri, a practitioner of the Japanese art of ceremonial gift wrapping known as origata.
The second clue was the address: 16 rue Vivienne, a French historic monument-classified hôtel particulier that also happens to house Celine’s headquarters—a fitting choice, as it marked a homecoming for Rider. On arrival, guests discovered marble benches in the shape of Celine’s double C Triomphe logo underneath a giant silk foulard scarf canopy. Scarves featured prominently throughout the collection, tied at the neck, tucked into collars, or draped over jackets. A patchwork maxi skirt featured black and white polka dots, daisies, and what looked to be a new checkerboard monogram, patterns that also recurred on shirt collars, and the elaborate bow across the bust of an otherwise minimal black bustier gown.
Elsewhere in the lineup, a leather moto was tied around the waist to create another origami-like shape, and cardigans were MacGyvered to form little capelets by buttoning only the top one or two buttons. Rider wrote in his show notes about his respect for a timeless wardrobe: “I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on, that becomes a part of the wearer’s life, that may capture a moment in time but also speaks to years and years of gestures and occasions and change…” he stated. His scarves—and scarf-like creations styled for the runway by Brian Molloy—quite literally tied together the many threads of Celine’s heritage, including such Philo-isms as bold-shouldered jackets with nipped waists, peplums, and bijoux accents (also the return of the Phantom bag), as well as Slimane-isms like skinny jeans, culottes, and party-ready LBDs (one crafty style was made entirely of what appeared to be black Celine tags). The bricoleur sensibility was evident from the first look, an artfully askew blazer (Philo) with super skinny jeans (Slimane) and the sort of statement belt we’ve seen from Rider at Polo that amalgamated little bits of the past to create a present that feels very reflective of the way women dress today.
