Celine Spring 2019 PFW Show Is Panned on Social Media

Hedi Slimane just debuted his first collection for Celine on Friday at Paris Fashion Week and fans of the brand are not thrilled about the outcome. No matter who was at the helm in the history of the design house, Celine has always had a very specific aesthetic. And what walked the runway this season was in stark contrast to that. While the past has dictated midi skirts, clean lines, and an effortless elegance that was largely unmatched, the current Spring 2019 collection with Hedi at the helm was anything but. Rife with mini skirts, ruffles, metallics, and statement silhouettes, it looked largely like Saint Laurent from Hedi’s tenure at that fashion house, according to several social media users.

In a review of the collection from Vogue’s Sarah Mower, the editor wrote, “In this much-anticipated third coming at Celine, Slimane proved in 96 looks that his laser focus on his music-club vision of youth has not wavered.” And, while it was certainly to be expected, die-hard Celine fans hoped for a little more of a nod to the prior iterations of the brand than Hedi included.

What’s more, the prior Creative Director of Celine, Phoebe Philo was a champion of Women's empowerment. Not only did she take menswear looks — most notably suiting — and tailor them for a strong and confident woman, but she created a culture that celebrated rather than objectified women: Philo's Celine was understated, it was quietly elegant, and it valued both comfort and taste. Hedi’s Saint Laurent — and now Celine — appears to be the opposite. And it was presented on a series of waif-thin models that also don’t exactly fit the mold of the traditional Celine shopper. To note, out of 96 models, only 6 models of color hit the runway — 30 looks were shown before one model of color appeared. For all those reasons and more, the shift in direction for the brand was not exactly embraced as company executives might have hoped.

One user on Twitter called the collection “Saint Laurent 2.0 on primarily emaciated white models.” Another shared an image from The Devil Wears Prada movie in which Miranda Priestley is explaining the difference between two belts that look largely the same, writing, “Me trying to explain the differences between Saint Laurent and the Celine by Hedi Slimane.” Yet another wrote, “Hedi Slimane taking the Celine job: I felt like destroying something beautiful,” while The New York Times Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic Vanessa Friedman shared, “When the world moves on, and a designer doesn’t.”

See a selection of social media reactions below:

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