The fashion system has been eagerly awaiting her return since 2018 when she left Celine. In 2021, she announced it with an eponymous brand, with LVMH as a minority partner. Now everything should be ready to discover again the creative genius of Phoebe Philo
Register here for news and further updates. As we write, this disclaimer – white text on a completely black screen – is the only content on phoebephilo.com. Those who accepted the invitation and registered received a teaser video at the beginning of October, which, in its little showing and much guessing, makes one thing above all clear. After much absence and many announcements, Phoebe Philo’s return is now. And fashion – all fashion -, which has always declared itself to be crazy about this designer, can breathe a sigh of relief, raising its expectations to the maximum for what could happen from 30 October – the date set for the arrival of her new collection in shops – onwards. The date on which that disclaimer should disappear.
Thousands of prayers answered
The sabbatical break is over. After being approached by all the designer labels when they renewed their creative direction in recent years, Phoebe Philo is back in the field with an independent brand. Absent from the catwalks since 2018, when she decided to end her 10-year adventure at Celine, in 2021, the designer announced that she was ready to return by starting an eponymous, independent brand, but with LVMH as a minority partner. To understand how much that news excited the fashion world, the words that Vanessa Friedman, the New York Times’s authoritative fashion writer, wrote to comment on it are enough: ‘Thousands of prayers for women’s fashion have been answered.
The return of Phoebe Philo is now
The launch teaser hinted at a number of clues: faces, jewellery, sunglasses, and what looks like a shiny black leather trench coat. Proving that its return will be devoted to the total look, and precisely for this reason, insiders hope it could trigger a conceptual discontinuity across the entire fashion segment. Something that everyone, often without saying so, hopes will happen. It’s quite a responsibility, however, based on the way Phoebe Philo has been able (at Celine and previously at Chloé) to redefine the concept of elegance. By sewing together luxury and practicality and by customising a minimalist aesthetic that still gave importance to detail. By creating timeless collections. Everything, in practice, that fashion is looking for today, as demonstrated by the love for quiet luxury on show at the recent fashion shows in Milan, Paris, London, and New York. In other words, the proper comeback at the right time.
Measured, everyday style
As the portal La Conceria recalls, Phoebe Philo’s beginnings date back to the 1990s, “when she became Stella McCartney‘s right-hand woman at Chloé. From 2001, she personally took over the creative direction of the French brand, embarking on a 20-year career that would lead her to also direct Céline until her retirement in 2018″. For Chloé, Philo designed “iconic bags such as the Paddington, sturdy and with a double handle, made of leather and recognisable by its large central padlock. The turning point comes when she arrives at Celine. In addition to creating bags that remain engraved in the annals of fashion, among them the Phantom in calfskin, she creates collections that convey a measured, everyday style made up of geometrically cut dresses in soft colours’.
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