‘I’m taking things one day at a time’: How Celine Dion is using fashion to triumph tragedy
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The sight of Celine Dion “working it” in a Schiaparelli ruffled silk confection will be reassuring for her fans. The 56-year-old singer must be feeling better, they will think, if she’s putting on the couture.
It has been more than a year since Dion revealed that she is suffering from Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can cause muscle spasms and loss of mobility. Mostly, she has stayed out of the limelight since – she cancelled the remaining dates of her Courage world tour and instead focussed on recuperating at home in Las Vegas and spending time with her three sons. As an artist who has performed to global audiences since the age of 13, Dion described the original diagnosis as “difficult” to come to terms with.
Yet here she is, back on the cover of French Vogue. She has a documentary to promote – I Am: Celine Dion will arrive on Amazon Prime Video on June 25, and aims to raise awareness of this lesser-known condition. We will watch Dion going through intense daily routines of athletic, physical and vocal therapy in an attempt to one day be strong enough to perform again. It is likely the greatest challenge of her life.
In her Vogue interview Dion confides that she is taking things “one day at a time”. “The way I see it, I have two choices,” she says matter-of-factly. “Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself.” Dion has chosen to fight.
Her new photographs speak volumes – she’s power dressing in a Saint Laurent pencil skirt with leather gloves, and wearing a sculptural Alaia merino wool coat backwards. She strikes a semi-naked pose in an unbuttoned Balenciaga shirt – perhaps the most powerful image of the set, as she proudly shows off the very body that is challenging her.
This is not the first time that Dion has found energy in fizzy fashion when her personal life has reached a low point. Dion’s husband of 22 years, and former manager, René Angélil, passed away after suffering from cancer in January 2016. Just two days later she lost her brother to cancer also.
She was at home watching the Disney channel with her twin sons, then aged six, when she spotted the actress Zendaya – 2024’s pre-eminent red-carpet fashion star, but who then ruled the tween network. Dion Googled her stylist, Law Roach, and emailed him that summer.
Roach took his new client to her first couture shows in 2017 in Paris – Dion, who had previously been deemed “cheesy” and was sidelined by snobby editors, found herself the new front-row darling, aged 49. Vogue called it her “fashion renaissance”.
In her latest interview, she couldn’t resist pointing out Vogue’s U-turn on her: “Although I had better health and beauty at 30, I didn’t get asked to do [a shoot] then,” she quipped.
Roach maintains that Dion was “always” a fashion lover. As a child growing up with 13 siblings in Quebec, she had been used to hand-me-downs. Significantly, she spent her first pay cheque on new clothes that were all her own. Today, she passionately uses fashion as an outlet and a source of entertainment.
“I’m a firm believer that things happen when they are supposed to and I think that us partnering up when we did and having that amazing time was meant to be,” Roach previously told The Telegraph.
“She was dealing with the death of her husband and her brother. She was going through a lot of tragedy and, these are her words, the dresses and the bags and these lighter moments helped her with her recovery. Beyond anything else, it’s just enough for me that this amazing woman has had a good time and that I could help in any way with her healing process. She’s reminding us all that fashion is something to be enjoyed rather than feared.”
In the eight years since, Roach has become a trusted collaborator for Dion – even if recently their opportunities to work together have been few and far between.
For a surprise appearance presenting an award at the Grammys in February, Roach relished the chance to dress his client in Valentino once more. He styled Dion again for this latest French Vogue shoot, and shared behind-the-scenes videos – he can be seen delicately helping her into poses, and adjusting her fingers. It was an experience that Dion clearly appreciated and enjoyed – perhaps even more so as she no longer gets to do it regularly.
“My dream is to live in the present,” Dion said of doing the shoot. “Today, I am a woman, who feels strong and positive about the future. One day at a time.”
