Celine Spring 2026: Scarves, and Other Keepsakes

Yahoo

19 hours ago

The ivory-and-black silk scarves artfully wrapped around Celine's runway invitations were out in force on Sunday, guests winding them around their necks, threading them through belt loops, or dangling them from handbags — buh-bye Labubu.
The choice of this keepsake was very considered and intentional, like everything about Michael Rider's strong debut at the French house.
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'Scarves are something I wear and everyone wears differently,' he told a clutch of reporters after the show. 'It's also something you tend to keep and something maybe you give to your children, or a friend. But I liked the idea, particularly at Celine, where scarves mattered so much at the very beginning.'
Rider kept the best bits of the Hedi Slimane era, and the Phoebe Philo one — of which he was an integral part — and threw in some of his own recent past as creative director of Polo Ralph Lauren, tossing sweaters over a few shoulders, preppy-style.
He left some things behind, notably the recent rash of Rue Cambon references, but it was fun to spot such Easter eggs as a Luggage bag elongated into a weekender with a zippered pocket now curved like a smile, or a logo T-shirt and skinny jeans on a gangly, long-haired guy, also shown in a looser version.
Like many of the designers making debuts at houses this season, Rider has a lot of stakeholders to please, and billions of business at stake at a moment of luxury doldrums. So this was a crowd-pleaser of a collection that balanced heritage and novelties in the right measure.
The show was staged on a rainy afternoon at Celine headquarters on Rue Vivienne, models whisking in two directions across the limestone floors to propulsive hits by The Cure.
The tailoring was distinctive: strong-shouldered jackets with a high-button stance, giving them a pinched and pleasing Empire line — and narrow, buttonless coats with elegant, cutaway openings.
The pants were cool, cut slim as leggings or loose as culottes, some with cuffs and satin stripes like tuxedo pants. Pleated carrot shapes and harem pants tucked into glove-soft wrestling boots fed a vague '80s mood.
This coed show also covered all the categories, from day to evening, Rider's LBDs trimmed with garlands of jet beading; his ivory infanta gown as simple as a T-shirt and unadorned but for the cutest little chest pocket.
Some of the bags and costume jewelry dangled too many charms and gewgaws, but you could discern new shapes and colors in Triomphe canvas, and raffia totes in all sizes, too.
His design successor at Polo, Karen Brown, and a small crew from Lauren headquarters came to cheer him on, as did designers Lucie and Luke Meier, Jonathan Anderson and Raf Simons, adding to the electric atmosphere at the show.
While unaccustomed to the spotlight, having worked behind the scenes his entire career, Rider seemed at ease talking to reporters backstage, while not giving too much away. He spoke about the values of Celine — quality, timelessness and style — aligning with his.
'I was thinking a lot about something very real,' he said. 'Also, there's a foundation here that we're building on… We were as much about the beginning of the company as the nine wonderful years I was here, as well as the last six years.'
Founded in 1945 by Céline Vipiana and based initially on shoes, Celine has been part of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton stable since 1996 — and has seen its ups and downs. While American Michael Kors revved up the house when he was at the design helm from 1997 to 2004, it struggled to reclaim that buzz under former Burberry designer Roberto Menichetti and Prada alum Ivana Omazic.
Philo and Slimane ultimately propelled Celine into fashion's big leagues, and Rider seems keen to make it a byword for classics with plenty of panache, and the right degree of zing.
It's becoming nearly customary for designers to write a letter after the show, rather than typical show notes, and Rider's tells you where his head is at.
'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, of the past, the present and the future, of memories, of usefulness and of fantasy — of life really.'
Launch Gallery: Celine Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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