The launch of Phoebe Philo’s brand, in October 2023, marked the thunderous return to the fashion scene of the former artistic director of Chloé (1997-2008) and Céline (2008-2018). Sold only online, in Europe and the United States, at very high prices (from 1,000 to 3,000 euros on average per item), the label would have benefited, from the first days, online and especially on social networks. , with media visibility estimated at 7 million euros by Launchmetrics.
The data platform has developed an algorithm (Media Impact Value) which measures the “noise” that a brand makes based on the number of views, subscriber profile, duration of engagement, etc. While the brand confirms, without further details, excellent sales from the first week, Launchmetrics indicates that, to date, this estimate would reach 24 million euros.
The second edition (read: collection) of the label, launched on March 7 and The world was able to discover in February in the brand’s London showroom, should not deny the enthusiasm of those we call “philophiles” for the designer’s wardrobe. Decryption of the Philo style in five key details.
The reverse shoulder
Double-breasted jackets, available this season in black, tobacco (a dark brown) or “pepper and salt” (gray) exude a rigor that is both cool and authoritarian: they are worn wide with rolled out sleeves. These cover the entire swinging arm, leaving only one phalanx visible. Above all, they are designed to appear slightly flattened – helped in this, at the end of manufacturing, by a press stroke – and equipped with a so-called inverted shoulder, that is to say constructed by being curved inwards.
Graphic stand-up collar
Ah, the collars! Over the years, at Céline, Phoebe Philo has experimented with them all: mao, frilly, fireplace, with a large gold button, of an exaggerated proportion… For her label, the cotton poplin shirts are made up of a classic collar but which a rear fold can take up a notch: the collar then becomes more plunging at the front, the points well sharpened, like a graphic signature. Of masculine inspiration, the white models and fine black or burgundy stripes of this ” editing ” are washed before being marketed to give a bleached effect to the fabric.
Leather treated in strips
While fans still revere the leather T-shirts from Céline’s spring-summer 2010 or the heeled ballerinas from spring-summer 2015, the calfskin leather, this time, is cut into strips. These thin strips, applied and sewn onto a transparent muslin structure, give life to one of the most remarkable pieces of the new vintage: pants where the skin is subtly revealed between the stripes. To make it less intimidating, the designer chose a simple elasticated waist, like that of a pair of jogging pants, and a wide, falling pajama-style cut.
The “low waist” jacket
The zipped jacket in plunging leather arrives with a funny elasticated hem, strategically placed at the waist: it surrounds the hips and, by contrast, bombs out the top and bottom of the garment, in a funny hourglass effect. The patch pockets with snap buttons are doubled by two side pockets, all dominated by a funnel collar. Nothing extraordinarily sophisticated but enough to dramatize the silhouette.
The bolster scarf
Often hastily summed up in her bourgeois wardrobe without a false note, Phoebe Philo never forgets to slip in a piece of ready-to-wear or a dissonant accessory, as one would spice up a dish that is a little too well executed. Scarf-print shirts or leather sandals covered in red or sky blue faux fur, nicknamed “Furkenstock”, played this role at Céline, in 2011 and 2013 respectively. This season celebrates the bolster scarf. A very soft silk satin scarf, designed to be placed on the shoulders and padded like a pillow.