
Celine’s Winter 24’ Women’s video was a triumphant tribute to one of fashion’s most famous photographers, Richard Avedon. It commemorated two decades of his legendary craftsmanship since his passing. Celine’s innovative creative director, Hedi Slimane, took charge of this and this year, he was inspired by the Swinging Sixties for this season’s line-up.
It’s a far cry from Slimane’s typical 21st-century city chic grunge, as he takes us back to one of the most historic moments in fashion history by capturing the collection in film, and viewers were able to see his cast of coiffed models sauntering down the runway, at the La Salle Pleyel Concert Hall, a location that is synonymous to the brand, much like The Arc de Triomphe.
A-line dresses, coordinated suits, ultra-miniskirts, polka dots, and knee-length boots were sleek and incredibly refined. They perfectly captured the essence of the Avedon woman we know of, with its precise geometric shapes and they were the definition of chic.
The collection opened with an original soundtrack, La Folia (‘The Madness’) an instrumental composition by multi-instrumentalist Mélanie Chédeville co-produced by Rico the Wizard which came together with the geometric and angular mirrors that gave viewers various perspectives of each piece. Slimane wasn’t interested in re-inventing anything, nor was he trying to get attention for the sake of it. For the designer it was about perfecting the vision behind this series, in this case, he sought to capture confidence, femininity and allure.
With over 55 looks that combined stunning haute couture embellishments such as feathers, jewels, and beads on mini-skirts that are decorated with frills along with classically tailored looks that have glamorous pussy-bows, you can almost imagine how Avedon would capture them with his lens.
According to the show notes, Celine’s codes and silhouettes were re-energised through Slimane’s thought process:“La Collection De L’Arc de Triomphe looks back at the 60s, the golden age of Celine, recapturing the origins of the House.”
True to form, outerwear took center stage, featuring luxurious herringbone car coats, daring leopard print pieces, sleek leather cuts, and dramatic hooded capes. Adding to the retro-futuristic vibe were sculptural felt headwear reminiscent of paper boy caps fused with baseball caps, alongside 'TV Sunglasses' with thick rims and space boots straight out of a 60s sci-fi flick. Models effortlessly carried the House's latest accessories, including the Nino Bag, Terence Bag, and Garance Bag.