Everything
That sound you heard over the weekend? That was the sound of a million millennials sighing with a mixture of pleasure and pain as French brand Celine delivered an homage to the indie sleaze era of their hey day.
While Slimane himself is technically considered Gen X, the French designer has always seamlessly immersed himself into the moods of younger generations with an uncanny accuracy and his latest collection, Celine Fall 2023, lands in the heart of the Millennial collective and its stylistic resurgence.
But then again, the 54-year-old could be doing what he has always done and that’s simply threatening us with a good time through fashion.
Sequins, satin, silk and seriously skinny trousers – Celine Fall 2023 had all the codes that marked the ferociousness of partying during the mid-oughts without the accompanying hangover the next day. Or maybe there was. I hope there was because a true Millennial would never waste a good outfit like that.
Nostalgia aside, Slimane has rarely if ever strayed from the aesthetic that has marked all of his work, from his photography to his fashion to his fragrances. A sense of things being stripped back to decadent essentials and dressing UP for every occasion. It doesn’t matter what it is, but make it look chic and make it look like you didn’t think twice about what you’re wearing.
The choice of Los Angeles as the base to show the collection marks yet another Slimane touch. (The designer infamously made the city his base while working at Saint Laurent.) With leather pants, skinny scarves dangling down unbuttoned shirts and sunglasses – sunglasses everywhere – it was Sunset Boulevard in the ’70s; the Whisky A Go Go. It was The Kills, The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys all headlining at the same venue.
Slimane knows his tailoring and it was still present here, in the long shawl-collar coats, gold or silver-striped suiting. But in his hands it’s always a means to an end, rather than something to focus on. The look is the goal, because fashion is – as Slimane knows – all about how it looks.
Naval jackets, captain’s caps are paired with denim and pirate-like frilled shirts; a leopard-print blazer is thrown over a Breton stripe. Leather jackets branded with the venue that housed the show, the Art Deco-style The Wiltern theatre, tied the entire collection to the city that Slimane calls home.
