fashionologie

Céline Fall 2012

fashionologie — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:37:24 PST

>> In lieu of her usual runway show, Phoebe Philo - eight months pregnant with her third child - opted instead to show Fall 2012 Céline via two small showroom presentations. Despite the lighter crowd and the more intimate setting, the collection still packed quite a punch. The main message was volume - an idea Philo dabbled in for Pre-Fall - but here, it appeared full-on and in supersize proportions; coats were pumped-up to the max, ankle trousers were wide and pleated, sleeveless tops were geometric and boxy, and dresses had super-rounded shoulders and sleeves. Colorblock - the collection's other main element - was used to great effect in combinations of tomato, cobalt, navy, and camel.

Photos: Courtesy of Céline

View Slideshow ›

Celine Cancels Fall 2012 Runway Show

Christina Perez — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:04:53 PST

>> LVMH wants Phoebe Philo - who is pregnant with her third child - to take it easy. "A runway show is a very demanding and personal engagement for a creative director," Celine's chief executive officer, Marco Gobbetti, told WWD. "The objective is to simplify." Though the house hasn't confirmed an alternative plan, the Fall 2012 collection will now most likely be presented in a more informal setting. Celine will maintain its current spot on the Paris Fashion Week calendar; Philo - who is currently "designing the collection with her team" - is expected to attend.
Photo: Getty

Celine Pre-Fall 2012

Christina Perez — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:36:17 PST

>> Phoebe Philo pumped up the volume for Pre-Fall 2012, working some serious mass into her signature strong-lined silhouettes. Pants were cut generously through the hip, and jackets looked ultra-roomy with the addition of large lapels and rounded shoulder seams. Peplums, bows, and a smattering of patchwork added just a hint of playfulness, while shiny leather and textural fur provided contrast to the otherwise stark palette of navy, gray, and black.

View Slideshow ›

Marc Jacobs-Dior Talks Halt; Alexander Wang, Raf Simons, and Jason Wu Now Being Considered

fashionologie — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:24:26 PST

>> Marc Jacobs, long the favorite to take over at Dior, may not be headed to the house after all. Talks between the two parties have once again halted, WWD reports, and Dior has stepped up both the pace and depth of negotiations with other designers - Alexander Wang, Raf Simons, and Jason Wu, in particular. Riccardo Tisci is also still in the mix, but given his strong momentum at Givenchy, is viewed as unlikely to be appointed.

Although last month, talks between Jacobs and Dior were said to be progressing - Bernard Arnault reportedly flew into Manhattan to meet with Jacobs - and there was no explosive breakdown, Arnault and Dior recently decided to move onto another scenario - in part because Jacobs requested that he take his Vuitton design team to Dior, which would leave Vuitton without creative support, and Phoebe Philo, the preferred candidate to take over at Vuitton, reportedly prefers to continue at Celine.

The Dior search is said to be focused on finding a designer - young or mature - with an affinity and respect for the brand's glamorous DNA, and a vision for taking it forward, post-Galliano. However, one source told WWD: “It is not impossible that [Arnault] resumes his talks with Marc.”

The Latest on Marc Jacobs and Dior - Talks Now Said to Be Progressing

fashionologie — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:17:42 PDT

>>At the end of last month, Sidney Toledano, president and CEO of Dior, said he expected to have news on Dior's new designer "in the next few weeks." Not a day later came reports that talks between Dior and the front runner for the position, Marc Jacobs, had been tough and at a standstill.

Now, however, WWD reports: "Negotiations with Marc Jacobs . . . to become Dior’s next couturier have been progressing, sources said this week. It is understood . . . Phoebe Philo remains the preferred candidate to succeed Jacobs at Vuitton, should the American designer conclude a deal with Dior."

Dior, which has now been without a creative director since March, reported that its revenues were up 17.6 percent in the third quarter - suggesting that the brand is more potent than the famous designer behind it.

Fashion Descends on London For the Frieze Art Fair

fashionologie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:37:59 PDT

>> On to the next: Not a week after Paris Fashion Week ended, fashion's attention has already been shifted to London, where the Frieze Art Fair gets under way today. Yesterday, designers Alber Elbaz and Phoebe Philo, art dealers Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld and Philo's husband, Max Wigram, plus Natalia Vodianova, Caroline Sieber, and Valentino Garavani were all spotted taking in the wares at the VIP preview.

View Slideshow ›

Cathy Horyn Was Disappointed with Phoebe Philo This Season

fashionologie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:54:42 PDT

>> Even the critically-infallible designers are taking a jab or two this season. First Tom Ford, and now Phoebe Philo. Cathy Horyn writes of the Spring 2012 Celine show: "Phoebe Philo knows how to put a statement on the Celine runway. Everyone knows that by now. But the collection she offered on Sunday was a club sandwich of cleverly reworked ideas, with some others that didn’t have a particular urgency. My main problem was that her military-style jackets with wide belts and matching skirts were derivative of old-school Yohji Yamamoto, as were cropped, wide-leg trousers with oversized black leather jackets. Also, if you recall, Miuccia Prada opened her fall 2011 show with rounded jackets; she, too, had wide belts dropped on the hips. It was only a year ago that Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons showed black fake-leather dresses with extra-wide belts. Maybe fashion goes by so quickly today that everything becomes an unrecognizable blur, and maybe a new generation of shoppers is indifferent to this kind of debate, but Ms. Philo’s reputation is based on being her own person, so you expect more from her." [On the Runway]

Celine Spring 2012

fashionologie — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:03:54 PDT

View Slideshow ›

Talks Between Marc Jacobs and Christian Dior Said Proving Difficult

fashionologie — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:36:16 PDT

>> Last month, Marc Jacobs was said to be frontrunner for the currently-vacant Christian Dior creative directorship. That still seems to be the case, according to WWD sources, but there have been a few sticking points.

One such hitch in the talks? It's believed that Jacobs and his long-time business partner Robert Duffy are seeking a substantial increase on their current salary and benefit packages from LVMH, which already place them among the highest-paid designers and fashion executives in the world.

Dior is a more demanding job than Jacobs's current position at Louis Vuitton, with two couture collections in addition to two ready-to-wear shows and pre-collections. And Jacobs would be required to spend more time in Paris working with the atelier, given the intense craftsmanship involved with forming a couture collection.

If Jacobs does make the move to Dior, Phoebe Philo has been reported to be first in line to succeed him at Louis Vuitton. But according to WWD's sources, as of last week, she had yet to commit to the project or enter negotiations.

Report - Marc Jacobs Could Be Headed to Dior and Phoebe Philo to Louis Vuitton

fashionologie — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:14:24 PDT

>> A couple of weeks after rumors popped up suggesting that Marc Jacobs was at the top of the pack to take over as Dior's new designer, reports corroborate that the rumors just might be true.

According to WWD, Bernard Arnault is in talks with Jacobs about moving from Louis Vuitton to Dior, and meetings have reportedly been scheduled in Paris this week between Dior officials and legal representatives for Jacobs. Jacobs, who signed on as Vuitton's artistic director in 1997, has been in the midst of renewing his employment contract at Vuitton, but those discussions are said to have been put on hold, pending the outcome of Jacobs's discussions with Dior.

One source cautioned WWD that deal with Jacobs is not done, but both the designer and Dior management are so far "excited" about the prospect. If the deal goes through, Jacobs will get his first opportunity as a couturier, and his business partner Robert Duffy would come with him. Dior declined to comment on the reports, and Jacobs could not be reached for comment.

As for who would replace Jacobs at Vuitton, it sounds like Phoebe Philo could be first in line. LVMH has already reportedly held preliminary discussions with Philo, who is said to be "intrigued" by the project. If the shuffling plays out, it's reportedly likely she would design Vuitton in addition to Celine.

WWD reports that a number of potential candidates have been approached to succeed John Galliano, who exited Dior in March, including Alber Elbaz, Nicolas Ghesquière, Sarah Burton, Haider Ackermann and Hedi Slimane. Elbaz and Ghesquiere, who both have equity stakes in and strong commitments to the houses they design for, have withdrawn themselves from the running, and Burton is said to have rebuffed overtures. Talks with Ackermann and Slimane, meanwhile, did not end in an agreement. As for Riccardo Tisci, he is still considered a dark-horse candidate, and has been championed by Delphine Arnault, Dior deputy managing director and Bernard Arnault's daughter.