A nod to Paris and to the house’s roots, Hedi Slimane styled and did the set of the newly looks of the Hôtel de la Marine and the Hôtel National Des Invalides
The runway marked milestone moments in France by taking place in two historic Parisian buildings
In 1748, the city of Paris was not yet the size it is today. A statue to the glory of Louis XV was intended to be built not far from the Tuileries. To embellish the equestrian statue commissioned from Edmé Bouchardon, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who also designed Le Petit Trianon in Versailles for Marie-Antoniette, conceived a square to the glory of the king, which would be the Place Louis XV, better known today as the Place de la Concorde.
Between 1758 and 1774, the royal architect designed the Hôtel de la Marine, one of the architectural jewels of 18th century Paris. Celine has inaugurated the newly restored ‘Salons D’apparat’ of the Hôtel with the first show and first campaign photographed in the space since its restoration. «It is nothing less than a mini Versailles in the middle of Paris», says Jacqueline von Hammerstein-Loxten, one of the members of the Campaign Committee for the Center for National Monuments. This government organization oversaw the Hôtel’s restoration.
The rooms were originally used to present the royal collections to French and foreign visitors and display the excellence of French decorative arts. Models walked through the gilded rooms of the historic buildings, contrasted by shots in a modern-looking sound stage.
The Celine show’s second location was the ‘cour d’honneur’, the central courtyard in the heart of the Hôtel National Des Invalides, located on the west bank of Paris in the 7th arrondissement. In the 17th century, Louis XIV was the head of Europe’s greatest army. He was aware that soldiers were the primary guardians of France’s greatness and power; the Sun King decided to erect a building for those who had served the royal army.
The Cité des Invalides first opened to veterans in 1674: at once a convent, hospice, and factory. The Hôtel was a genuine city, governed by a religious and military system where 4,000 borders lived. These places became the backdrops of Hedi Slimane’s collection, which captured the impressive history of those buildings that have been home to lavish receptions, along with the balls for the coronation of Napoleon and King Charles X.
‘Byron is dead’ is the new song by Hennessey
2018 marks Slimane’s debut Celine show, which took place in an architectural pavilion erected on the grounds of Hôtel National Des Invalides. For the latest show, a brand-new structure was crafted in the exact location, but it is defined by black modernist lines for this new season.
The buildings the creative director chose for the show underscored his enduring narrative since his arrival at the Parisian house: energy that surges through the street.
The concept of time-hopping is found in the soundtrack created by Hennessey, the musical project of New York City native Leah Hennessey. The song Byron is Dead is part of an ongoing obsession with the 19th-century poet Lord Byron by the musician, whose upcoming film is titled Byron & Shelley: Illuminati Detectives.
This context played directly into the collection that distills the designer’s modern play on classic Parisian style.
The collection and Slimane’s vision ushered a new regality into Paris gilded halls
These contrasts are found throughout the Fall Winter 2022 collection, epitomized in the opening look, comprising a caped top worn with a pair of frayed-hem jeans. Worn by models that included Kaia Gerber and Blackpink’s Lisa, textures and details were subtle in their play and meticulous in constructions.
The singer’s looks, in particular, revealed moments of contrast: Lisa showed off two looks from the collection. The first was a silver sequined mini dress paired with black combat boots and a chain-link bag on her shoulder. Then, she came out again, this time in a double-breasted motorcycle jacket and leather mini skirt, proving her place among the other models in the video: «Sometimes I feel like Celine pieces boost my charisma and my confidence. They make me feel empowered, that’s why Celine and I have such great synergy» explained Lisa.
There are several nods to Slimane’s previous collections for Celine. The influences range from his first women’s show to the 70s Parisian style to Celine Monaco 8: these shows’ signatures are mixed with contrasting styles.
Some of the creative director’s staples as cropped denim and structured blazers were punctuated by hand embroidery crafted in the house’s Paris ateliers. In addition, Slimane has experimented with graphics and colors, pairing a snakeskin print in hues of yellow and brown with a striped knitted sweater in red, blue, and white.
A portrait of the modern woman that danced from daytime – oversized sweaters, which walked with skirts of exotic pattern, cashmere overcoats, hoodies, and polo necks – to nighttime with several sequin dresses, pitch-black leathers, and evening gowns in an embroidered form that channeled the enduring sparkle of the capital at night.
The collection premiered with an overall darker-hued color palette and garments from cargo pants to scintillating skirts and layered jackets. In terms of accessories, the Matelassé Monochrome bag made its debut, together with the Medium Triomphe Frame and the Trapeze Triomphe, which were all critical bags in the collection.
The new Verneuil boot featured a razor-sharp heel and was paired with oversized jeans. The creative director’s stylistic approach fused the contemporary with the archival, as each location juxtaposed garments’ evolution throughout time and place.
Juxtapositions have defined Slimane’s tenure at Celine thus far: the casual attitude of youth with feats of age-old Parisian craft, masculine with feminine, strength, and romance as the venue lights rearranged to form Celine’s Triomphe motif, the sunset on the French capital and another Slimane production.
Celine Winter 2022
Hedi Slimane presents the Celine women’s winter 2022 show. Unveiled at two historical monuments in Paris, Hôtel de la Marine, and Hôtel National Des Invalides, the collection is named DANS PARIS.
