It’s been seven years since Michael Rider was last at Celine, where he worked for a decade as design director under Phoebe Philo’s famed tenure, and quite a few things have changed. While Hedi Slimane stepped in, dropped the acute accent from the name, and shifted away from Philo’s feminine ease, Rider sharpened his preppy edge as creative director of Ralph Lauren. Now, on the runway, it’s as if the varying influences from his career have formed a scrapbook to compose his Celine debut.
As models wound through seats formed in an interlocking C emblem, the sporty collegiate vision was immediately realized. Two things from the collection stood out as abundantly clear: accessories and styling reigned supreme. In a way, this method creates an incredibly approachable luxury vision with tangible entry points. You aspire to buy the beautifully constructed pieces, but you’re inspired to shift the way you dress, whether it be incorporating a silk foulard into your wardrobe, taking scissors to the bottom of your necktie, or stacking every single piece of jewelry that you own.
The scarves, also seen across multiple menswear collections last week, were a dominant motif on the runway (the invite was even composed of one). Many were adorned with a different logo pattern: a slimmer, almost crescent moon-like “C.” One wide-winged accessory in particular evoked the ghost of fashion past. With the reissue of Philo’s iconic Phantom, Rider smartly tapped into the It-bag resurgence craze.
For bags slung over the shoulder—and, in one instance, matched with a tan patchwork leather jacket—bigger was better, emulating a youthful academic aesthetic. The Brat Pack’s arrogant glory and personification of the ’80s preppy era—specifically in the coming-of-age film St. Elmo’s Fire—immediately comes to mind. Give it a French twist with skinny trousers and topsider-meets-Keds minimalist shoes, and you’ve summed up Rider’s debut.
There’s no doubt that a high-powered and highly glossy version of the ’80s is currently dominating the runways. It’s a relief to see designers playing skillfully with beautiful styling and a pleasure to witness each interpretation. For Rider, that manifests through yuppie-inspired pieces—no doubt a result of his time at Ralph Lauren. However, it’s his remarkable blending of subtle subversions, like tucking wide-legged suit trousers into logo-printed boxing shoes or dabbling with sweatshirts and retro silhouettes, that separates him from playing too heavily into the preppy handbook.
Alexandra Hildreth is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. She is fascinated by style trends, industry news, shake-ups, and The Real Housewives. Previously, she attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following graduation, she moved back to New York City and worked as a freelance journalist and producer.
