This morning in Paris, under muted skies and an undeniable sense of anticipation, CELINE returned home to Rue Vivienne. Back to a city, and a world, that’s shifted in ways both seismic and subtle. But make no mistake—this wasn’t a nostalgic look back. It was a confident step forward cloaked in the poetry of timelessness.
In what marked the house’s first physical co-ed runway show in many years—and the first since CELINE pivoted to film-only presentations under Hedi Slimane—this return was more than just a runway show. It was a signal. A recalibration. A moment of emotional recollection for a brand that defined cool, only to later step out of the fashion week circuit altogether. And now, under new creative director Michael Rider, it’s back—and not quietly.
“Coming back to CELINE, and to Paris, back to 16 rue Vivienne in a changed world, has been incredibly
emotional for me. And a complete joy.” Rider said in a brand statement.
That joy was palpable—not in loud declarations, but in the detail: razor-sharp tailoring, plush textures, layered ornamentation that whispered of a 1970s Paris, deeply rooted in 2025.
There was a deliberate stillness to the collection. It spoke in knowing glances, in cuts that fell just-so, in leathers that looked like they’d been lovingly worn in for decades. Rider proved what Slimane once did: that minimalism doesn’t mean cold. It just means editing down to what really matters. And what matters here is style, in its purest, most potent form.
No logo overload. No gimmicks. Silhouettes that begged to be worn out to dinner in Saint-Germain, and again the next morning on the walk home. In many ways CELINE is cultivating a new identity. “Clothing that lives on,” Rider wrote. In a time when so much of fashion feels disposable Rider’s statement and collection hit different.
From slim structured coats and blazers, trousers ballooning out tucked into lace up boxing shoes paired with cropped leather jackets, to dresses both cocktail and fancy dress layered like memory over memory, everything on the runway today motioned towards the intentional. But it was the styling that elevated the collection to another level.
Models walked with confidence in white culottes layered with knits, exaggerated oversized charm necklaces, paired with wicker market baskets. Classic overcoats styled with just one shirt lapel sticking out for intrigue, some draped in bright silk scarves and contrasting knits over the shoulder.
Denim was seen in a variety of cuts and washes, everything from skinny, straight, balloon leg, to floral embroidery. A washed in pleat added a tailored appeal exuding a casual cool. Emotional armour for a world that’s relearning how to be soft.
CELINE didn’t just return to Paris. It reminded Paris what it means to dress with meaning.
Discover the runway images below.
