On an afternoon in 1971, Céline Vipiana found herself stranded on Place de l’Étoile after her car broke down. The inconvenience would go on to become a serendipitous moment in the house’s history when she noticed the chain link that encircled the Arc de Triomphe, a decorative pattern that became CELINE’s iconic monogram. In 2018, upon his arrival at CELINE, Hedi Slimane redesigned this emblem with a modernist approach and named it “Triomphe” as an ode to this lore—a motif that now reappears collection after collection.
Debuting its latest collection, ‘La Collection de L’arc de Triomphe’, with a film directed by Slimane, CELINE Fall/Winter 2024 harkens back to its founder and the 1960s, a golden age for CELINE that saw its focus shift towards luxury ready-to-wear. Setting out to recapture the origins and trailblazing spirit of Vipiana, the collection was full of coordinating two-piece sets comprising cropped jackets and mini hemlines—most of which were rendered in authentic re-weaved materials. Thigh-skimming shift dresses, knee-high boots, faux-fur outerwear and felt caps showed up on repeat, further cementing this retro push.
Though the creative director is lauded for his sharp tailoring and suiting, there were no pants to be seen, only dresses and skirts. We also see a departure from his ‘Indie Rock’ aesthetic, which highlighted skinny jeans, grungey florals, and early ’00s aesthetics for a more mod feel.
Slimane also presented three new bags that are sure to be the covet of the style set this year: the ‘Nino’, a top-handled mini purse; the ‘Terence’, a shoulder bag; and the ‘Garance’, a patent leather crossbody, all of which featured the Triomphe emblem.
Seamlessly blending ready-to-wear and couture, hand embroidery brought an ethereal quality to mini dresses, playfully contrasted with effortlessly cool accessories.
This show also held a special role for Slimane, who dedicated the collection to his friend and mentor Richard Avedon, the prolific photographer who passed away in 2004. Much of the audience-free runway was filmed in the grand mirrored room at the La Salle Pleyel in Paris, while other shots were captured in Le Musée Bourdelle, Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs and La Maison de la Chimie. With an original soundtrack commissioned by Slimane, models walked to the tune of ‘L’hiver’, a song written, arranged and performed by Mélanie Chédeville, produced by Rico The Wizard and Mélanie Chédeville.
The show was also the setting for a grand announcement from the house, marking the birth of CELINE BEAUTÉ, the first cosmetics line in the house’s history.
Created in 2023, the new beauty range offers an organic expansion from CELINE’s haute parfumerie collection, which launched in 2019. On the runway, models wore “La Peau Nue” Rose Naturel Lipstick, one of the 15 shades of the ‘Le Rouge CELINE’ collection, which will be available in 2025. The first drop from CELINE BEAUTÉ will launch towards the end of this year with a satin lipstick shade called Rouge Triomphe.
Watch the full show below.
This story first appeared originally on GRAZIA International.