In many ways, Michael Rider stands out among the wave of creative director debuts this year. Before stepping into the role at Celine, he had mostly worked behind the scenes.
The opening look of Michael Rider’s debut for Celine really sets the tone and direction he envisions for the brand. With just one outfit, you can see his entire résumé woven together: the overt preppiness of Ralph, the femininity of Phoebe Philo’s Celine, the slim, Parisian feel of Hedi Slimane’s Celine, and the otherworldly touch of Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga.
Rider’s debut felt, in part, like an homage not only to the designers who came before him at Celine but also to his own career. Something that has felt refreshing about these debuts is how unafraid the designers have been to embrace a house’s past, which runs counter to those old-school creative turnovers where someone would come in and wipe the slate clean. Just look at Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior, which nodded to the work of both Christian Dior and Marc Bohan. Similarly, Glenn Martens at Margiela paid homage to Margiela himself, as well as John Galliano, with corsets that pushed the hips out for a sharp, striking silhouette. These designs reflect a sentiment that understanding history helps guide the future. After all, how can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been?
But beyond the homages, references, and the return of the Phantom bag, what also stood out was just how distinctly 80s American preppy the collection felt. We saw this same mood at Anderson’s Dior, which felt even more intensified when images shot by Theo Wenner came out and captured that unmistakable Bruce Weber look and feel. You could even spot echoes of it at ERL, where Eli Russell Linnetz presented a lookbook that tried to dismantle the idea of prep through a character named Ivy. Preppy dressing has been flowing in and out for the past few seasons, and in many ways you could say the sudden interest in prep was a catalyst for the whole old money and quiet luxury trend we’re only now shaking off. But to see these European houses zero in on a specific decade and lean into an Americanness at a time when there’s so much debate about what it even means to be American is fascinating.
Theo Wenner for Dior.
A while back I went down a rabbit hole and found myself a little enamored with the notion that, in many ways, the American Dream — though it may not have been real for many and was more of a myth a country could rally behind — feels more obtainable in the clothes we wear than in any of the old trappings we’ve been sold since the beginning of time: the house, the white picket fence, the kids and the dog. And while those things can feel like relics, they still hold some arbitrary weight. They always say the runway reflects the culture, and though that idea has been up for debate lately, I think what we saw during the men’s shows and especially with Rider’s debut shows there’s a hunger for a look and feel for life that only seems to exist in a John Hughes movie.
The Four Horsemen of Celine.
This 80s redux is a far cry from the Boom Boom Aesthetic, which was all Yuppie central and an ostentatious, more-is-more sensibility. And if you’re wondering if Yuppie and preppy are the same thing, I’d say they’re from the same tree but different branches. The vision of the 80s that Rider offers up feels more punk and alternative but also softer, much more flâneur than Master of the Universe.
When it comes to today’s newsletter, I wanted to try my hand at using Rider’s Celine as a reference point to build out looks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: these days, the mark of a good collection isn’t necessarily that it makes you want to shop — it’s that it makes you want to get dressed. Some of these looks have direct references and others are more loosely inspired.
I’d say this basically hits the nail on the head when it comes to recreating LK1, though of course I have my subtle deviations and twists. In the actual look, the jacket is naturally cinched, whereas I had to fudge it a bit by tying the belt around the waist. The pants are basically jeggings, or maybe the Disco Pant is a better reference here. And while she’s wearing a white bootie, I went with a heel, but I think a soft white shoe would have worked well too. The rest of the pieces are a Caron Callahan jacket (I’ll admit this one is heavy wool, so I’d go with something more weather-appropriate like this), Polo Ralph Lauren denim shirt, Levi’s 501s (from The Vintage Twin), and an Aesther Ekme bag.
A close-up of my makeshift charm bracelet.
A closer look at the charm bracelet, with a few additions that aren’t in the look above. The bracelet is from Christian Caruso and, starting from left to right, the charms include: the padlock from my Hermès Kelly watch (with a padlock from Pandora of all places attached to it , high/low!), a Silvia Furmanovich scarab beetle carved in onyx and set in rubies, an adorable fish pendant from Etsy (it’s kind of the summer of the fish when it comes to jewelry, case in point here, here, and here), a compass locket and a pearl charm from Catbird (I actually did a whole post about charm bracelets with Catbird yesterday… maybe I’m revealing myself to be some sort of oracle, haha!), both of those charms are on a Lionheart charm holder, a Shermanfield sapphire tassel, an Eliburch silver “J,” and a Deve Studios 18k gold vermeil“J.”
If I were to call out a few major themes beyond the 80s nature of the collection, it’s worth pointing out the real attention to detail. There are so many looks where I spot something new every time I go back. One criticism I’ve seen is that the collection was “overstyled,” but to me what some saw as too much actually felt like an attempt to mirror real people, especially when it came to the jewelry. Another thing to note when channeling this debut is how playful the layering and color combinations were. There were striking pops of Kelly green, Yves Klein blue, and what I’d describe as elementary school red, and the best part is that these brights weren’t just styled back to black. They were mixed with other bold shades or, if they were paired with a neutral, it was more likely camel, chestnut, or grey. Needless to say, be experimental.
Vintage cardigan (you could go the vintage route or newer, dealer’s choice), Sunspel silk mock neck, Partow shorts, Underwater Weaving basket, Bagtazo hat. As for the necklaces, there’s quite an assortment but I’ll call out a few: I have a necklace from Maria Frering, who’s a really interesting jewelry designer that incorporates knitting into her pieces, and I brought out my makeshift comb necklace that I wore religiously a few years ago.
As you’ll see in the show, the prominent leg shapes included barrel shapes, or in some cases carrot pants, skinny jeans, culottes, and so on, but for the most part the pants were either at the skinny or wide end of the spectrum. For this particular look, the only pants I had similar to that exact look were a pair of flannel pants, and to keep things more seasonally appropriate I went with these culottes that are actually Phoebe Philo-era Celine, previously owned by Mrs. Solomon herself (similar options here and here). Bright red polo shirt, the only sweatshirt that matters, Sperry CVO deck shoes (though you could also go in the Keds direction), Ruadh denim jacket tied around the waist, and Brooks Brothers socks.
Same pants as the previous look, with the addition of a vintage L.L. Bean leather jacket (similar one here), AYR plaid shirt, Calvin Klein white turtleneck (I’d go with something on the thinner side like this), Renate Jacob jazz shoes, Loro Piana hat (here’s an option that’s a little less offensive price-wise), Hunting Season basket bag, and I’m always thinking about those Celine plastic bags from 2018 (I think?) so I threw in the Happeir Grocery bag.
The tights are from Literary Sport. They’re really meant for working out. obv, but for now they’re standing in for the skinny jeans that were on the runway. The floral shirt is from American Apparel (and I think it’s the only thing I’ve kept from them; you can take your pick of floral print shirts here, here, and here). Here’s a shirt alt, a jacket alt, and an Oxford alt for you all.
Victoria Beckham blazer (alt here), Everybody World ringer tee (I’m wearing a small for reference), Donni silk pants, and the boots are Nick’s, he bought them from Ina, the one on Prince Street. I’d probably go in this direction.
The only bucket hat that matters which will be coming to the site next week!
Just like my post around Valentino, when it comes to these houses and these new collections, the goal isn’t to surrender yourself to the brand completely. You have to make it your own.
This isn’t too far off from LK 32, though I’ve basically restyled it so much that the only real similarity between the two is the blue sweatshirt (this one’s from Still Here and it’s great — it has that perfectly broken-in feel, like an old Russell sweatshirt). Even with a few tweaks, the spirit is still there. I’m wearing a Perfect White Tee cotton poplin shirt, Colbo anorak tied around my waist (This is similar from the brand, at the same time this is a good alt), Literary Sport track pants (unfortunately they’re sold out, but you could get a similar feel with the likes of this). The bag is from Doen, the stick pin is Matthew Swope, and the bracelet holding up one of the sleeves is an Etsy find.
I feel like this look really captures how Michael Rider reworked the ideas of the previous creative directors, along with what he did at Polo. There’s that slightly bourgeois feel with the tuxedo jacket and silk scarf, but you can’t ignore the twist of American nonchalance in the layering. To me, American style is all about playing with contradictions, like pairing cut-off shorts (these are from Ruadh) and flats with socks, all styled back to a more formal top half. And to finish it off, there’s this massive bag (in the form of the Valentino Viva Superstar), which definitely isn’t an evening bag in the traditional sense, but who’s to say it can’t be?
Old Banana Republic military-style jacket (similar option here; I should mention I took the belt and tied it below the belt loops because I noticed in the show he played with that 20s drop waist). Toast linen dress with a skirt layered underneath to give it more volume. Vintner Daughter scarf. The bags are (from inside out) Cesta Collective x Eliou suede clutch and an embossed Co clutch. The studs are from Erede.
Tory Burch blazer from a few seasons ago. I’d probably go with something along these lines, or you could always choose something more like this. Nili Lotan button-down, croc-embossed skirt, and I’m wearing a vintage slip underneath.
What did you all think of the debut? Are you feeling an 80s redux as well? Let me know! Until next time!
This post gave me a new lease on life. I LOVE IT!!! FROM START TO FINISH.
"I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: these days, the mark of a good collection isn’t necessarily that it makes you want to shop — it’s that it makes you want to get dressed."
This post gave me a new lease on life. I LOVE IT!!! FROM START TO FINISH.
"I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: these days, the mark of a good collection isn’t necessarily that it makes you want to shop — it’s that it makes you want to get dressed."
Stunning.
Impeccable. One of my favorite posts of yours