>> Spring 2010 may be a "safe" campaign season in the making, but not all designers are afraid to change things up. Word is up-and-coming photographer Josh Olins has breached the usually ad-shooting group of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, David Sims, Steven Meisel, and Steven Klein, nabbing the Spring 2010 Giorgio Armani campaign as his own. And it's rumored Juergen Teller won't just be exclusive to Marc Jacobs image-making this season: apparently he's helping Phoebe Philo curate the new Celine image by photographing newcomer Valerija Kelava and Carmen Kass for her first ads for the brand.
As for Stefano Pilati, it sounds like he's sticking to his winning supermodel-Inez and Vinoodh formula, going on six seasons strong. Natalia Vodianova, WWD reports, is said to be next up.
Celine
Spring 2010 Campaign Scuttlebutt: Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Celine
Pheobe Philo's First Celine Runway Collection for Spring 2010: The Reviews Are In
>> For her first runway show since leaving Chloe in 2006 to focus on motherhood, Phoebe Philo sent out a fast-marching group of models swaddled in earth tones, clunky wood wedges, modified trenches, military details, lots of leather, and curiously few handbags, despite Celine's accessory-brand heritage. Bound inspiration books from Philo, containing photos of Kurt Cobain, disco balls, and work by David Sims and Helmut Newton were placed on every seat.
The mood of the collection, one of the season's most anticipated, Philo described as “purposeful and positive.” Backstage, while holding her five-year-old daughter, Maya, who attended the show with Philo's husband, she went on: "I wanted to clean it up, refocus, and present a strong, powerful woman." And of all the expectation: "It's just the beginning. It felt like, just take it easy, just start easy. It's nice to have the bubble of expectations burst. That feels good. Sometimes what people get into their head is unachievable."
In the front row were top photographers David Sims, Mario Testino, Craig McDean; Pucci designer Peter Dundas, who called the collection "wonderful"; and top LVMH brass, including Bernard Arnault, who stood to applaud Philo afterward. As Suzy Menkes put it, "This was an important exercise in making Celine fashion credible. And that was mission accomplished."
LVMH To Hold Out on Marketing Some of Its Brands for the Rest of the Year
>> In the wake of the 23 percent decline in first-half profits it announced Monday, LVMH plans to postpone or suspend marketing and promotions for its brands that failed to be top performers, according to CFO Jean-Jacques Guiony.
He did not specify which brands would receive the "selective investments" still being made, but its wines, spirits, watches, and jewelry businesses were hurt in the past few months and seem like contenders for those being passed over. This new withholding strategy is part of LVMH's cost containment plan for the remainder of 2009.
Phoebe Philo's First Celine Collection Well-Received All Around
>> Phoebe Philo introduced her first collection at Celine — for Cruise 2010 — yesterday, and it was all secrecy: no pictures were allowed at the preview. Philo, dressed in olive fatigues, a black leather jacket and a putty silk blouse, Cathy Horyn reports, chatted with guests in the large raw space where her designs were being on racks with informal modeling: "It was a smart way to introduce the collection — the isolated debut rather than the big Paris blowout."
Style.com deemed the collection "spot-on" yesterday, and today, more outlets have had a chance to weigh in. From Vogue: "Was it any good? Oh, yeah, and then some . . . It’s what Philo did so well at Chloé — a look that’s just cool, plain and simple, and which every girl is going to go crazy for." WWD was less forthcoming with an opinion, but still seemed to approve: "Gone are the girly frills and eyelets in favor of a smart, far more austere and grown-up look rooted in classics."
First Taste of Phoebe Philo at Celine for Cruise 2010
>> Phoebe Philo showed her first collection since 2005 — and her first collection for Celine — today at a loft space in Chelsea. Style.com deemed the outing — which is full of Philo's muted, miltary color-filled palette and simple effective shapes — "confident" and "spot-on."
Phoebe, for her part, explained of the Cruise 2010 collection: "It's not about total looks. After my break, and with Celine in various different hands these last years, it felt better for me to work on an idea of a wardrobe than too much on trends. October will be for that. The collection is about interchangeable investment pieces. I worked hard to create things that will stand the test of time." The shoes, for sure, will be invested in by many as soon as they hit stores.
>> INSIDER WIRE —First it was Fall 2009, then Spring 2010, and now it's being reported that Resort 2010 will be Phoebe Philo's first collection for Celine. Meanwhile, the house's Fall 2009 collection, done by an in-house design team, will be presented to editors next week. [FWD]
*image: source
>> INSIDER WIRE —Phoebe Philo's first designs for Celine will be unveiled in June for the pre-Spring and cruise seasons — she's focusing on "investment pieces" for her first outing — "part of it [will be] based on iconic pieces." Ignoring rumors that she was already clashing with management, causing her first runway show to be pushed back from March to October, Phoebe says she deliberately decided to sit out next month, as a way to “give the brand a bit of a break” and not succumb to fashion’s “fast and furious” pace. [WWD]
>> INSIDER WIRE —Originally, Phoebe Philo was supposed to unveil her first Celine collection in March, but among rumors of clashes with the label's new CEO, Marco Gobbetti, he confirmed that her first collection will be for the Spring 2010 season this Fall, with the studio doing any interim collections: "This is not about a trend or a runway, but building the foundation of the wardrobe of Phoebe for Celine." [WWD]
*image: source
Phoebe Philo Comeback at Celine in Jeopardy?
>> Phoebe Philo's return to fashion is highly anticipated, to say the least — Vogue already booked an editorial exclusive to feature her first Celine collection in their March 2009 issue — but it may not happen as planned. It's rumored that Phoebe is clashing with LVMH management — specifically Celine's new CEO, Marco Gobbetti, who moved over to the brand at the same time as the designer.
The original plan was to have Philo unveil her Fall 2009 collection during a presentation in Paris this March, followed by her runway debut in October, but now, the March presentation appears to be in question. According to a spokesperson, "Phoebe's debut show will be in October, as has always been planned and we are as excited as ever for Celine's partnership with Phoebe Philo." And as for the March collection, according to a "reliable industry source," a "team" is at work on the designs.
*image: source
>> IN PRODUCTION —Topshop is known for cultivating collaborations with edgy, up-and-coming designers, but come Nov. 20, they're taking it a step further — they've put into production the knit-tastic graduate collection of Simone Shailes, who just started at Celine under Phoebe Philo. Since graduate collections don't tend to influence the trickle-down or even get put into production in the first place, this concept could be golden — especially in this case, when loopy knits and metal plate belts are involved. [Style Bubble, Dazed Digital]
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