Hedi Slimane - Designer

[vetements]

Hedi buying a house in Milano is very indicative of him moving into a design position there. You don’t move to Milano unless it’s for a job. It is very much so an industry city.

Armani makes no sense for him, especially the menswear, which is literally polar opposite to everything he stands for as a designer. In that way all signs point to Gucci…

I love Hedi and I used to like Gucci. Him moving to Gucci is so exciting, not just only his interpretation of Gucci but more so how he is going to reinstal the glory days of Gucci!

and since many may argue that Hedi is more or less a one trick pony (Dior-Saint Laurent-Celine, but I still love him nonetheless, for his consistency, his refusal to compromise, for his quality, and overall image). So at this point in time, I am more excited of how he is able to turn Gucci around, business wise.

He would be proving himself once again, as the houses he has gone to all have all enjoyed unmatchable success.

I still remember his initial days at Celine weren't exactly smooth sailing, with a few change of looks and finally settled for what it is today, and I was also totally surprised he will allow KPOP ambassadors. So all said and done, Hedi is actually not as stubborn as he may seem to be, when he needs to bend, he will. And alas, Celine enjoyed its 3 Billion sales....

 

[jeanclaude]

hedi for agnona

Hedi for Iceberg!

 

[Salvatore]

I am not at all a Hedi stan, but I hope he gets another major job.

 

[tourbillions]

I am not at all a Hedi stan, but I hope he gets another major job.

zara or cos collab

 

[Lola701]

I am not at all a Hedi stan, but I hope he gets another major job.

Photographing campaigns. That’s all.

 

[Thefrenchy]

^ Honestly, all I want is for him to go back to photography only! Give us another anthology so many years later!

 

[Nimsay]

Let us not diminish Hedi's artistry by branding him a one-trick pony. Fashionistas should know that true sophistication comes from an understanding of the subtleties.

I could easily compose entire essays on the distinctions between the suits produced by DH SLP and Celine. Each possessing its own character and its own execution.

To claim one cannot discern between the high fashion labels is simply not a good look.

Again. The devil wears Prada. Anne Hathaway not being able to tell the difference between belts….

 

[Salvatore]

Photographing campaigns. That’s all.

Again, not a Hedi stan, but his eye and touch still has a place in fashion I feel.

 

[yslforever]

Again, not a Hedi stan, but his eye and touch still has a place in fashion I feel.

Definitely the best tailoring in menswear of the last 20 years. So there is some room for him.
He's not obliged to continue womenswear though.

 

[Salvatore]

Definitely the best tailoring in menswear of the last 20 years. So there is some room for him.
He's not obliged to continue womenswear though.

I totally agree. The majority of the tailoring is solid and fits nicely. I wouldn't care if he never did womenswear again, but I have reluctantly come to realize that I really like his point of view and that I look and feel good in it. You won't catch me Volfting, but I have to give Hedi his kudos.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I honestly wished he only did wonenswear in the framework of being an adaptation of the menswear, instead of trying to cater to the desires of the average woman?

Helmut Lang or Jil Sander were never much known for dresses or very feminine clothes, I thoroughly feel that‘s not what is needed from Hedi Slimane either, to have such large collections that cater to a wide range of tastes and demographics. Make it more androgynous, sharp, severe and conceptually tied to the menswear, adding to that shoes and accessories (another asset where his background in menswear really shines, as his shoe ranges for women are often more on the realistic side of comfort and versatility, rather than the impossible stilettos of his first Saint Laurent collection).

What was great about Hedi‘s beginnings was how uncompromising and clearly defined the identity of his fashion was. Then again, that fitted with the Zeitgeist of the early 2000s where fashion brands like Balenciaga under Nicolas or Rochas by Olivier were niche brands as well that were not for *everybody* to like.

 

[tourbillions]

Let us not diminish Hedi's artistry by branding him a one-trick pony. Fashionistas should know that true sophistication comes from an understanding of the subtleties.

I could easily compose entire essays on the distinctions between the suits produced by DH SLP and Celine. Each possessing its own character and its own execution.

To claim one cannot discern between the high fashion labels is simply not a good look.

Again. The devil wears Prada. Anne Hathaway not being able to tell the difference between belts….

unfortunately his womenswear is really not that deep.

he has his own codes and its very limited. baby doll dresses, tweed coat and short skirt, and when that fails he resorts to his jeans paired with an open jacket mumsy rocker cowboy uniform. But there is very little to no design aspects to his clothes. Its a styling showcase of very basic clothes.

He can be a stylist and still get the hedi codes from any rtw offering without having to design or make anything. he is definitely not a designer but for sure he is a CD since he is able to make a strong and cohesive brand.

He would do much better at high street

 

[tricotineacetat]

unfortunately his womenswear is really not that deep.

he has his own codes and its very limited. baby doll dresses, tweed coat and short skirt, and when that fails he resorts to his jeans paired with an open jacket mumsy rocker cowboy uniform. But there is very little to no design aspects to his clothes. Its a styling showcase of very basic clothes.

He can be a stylist and still get the hedi codes from any rtw offering without having to design or make anything. he is definitely not a designer but for sure he is a CD since he is able to make a strong and cohesive brand.

He would do much better at high street

To be fair, Helmut Lang wasn‘t much of a designer and the last few years of his career (the ones most referenced and sought after), would not have come to happen without the heavy influence of Melanie Ward and a team of designers, most notably the head-of-womenswear Alexa Adams (one half of the now defunct NY womenswear label, Ohne Titel).

Despite all that, people swore and insisted on wearing Helmut and nothing but Helmut long after he quit fashion, which tells me that sometimes there is more to the desigb of clothing than the obvious novelty factor that people accredit to high fashion.

For those who have the essentials of Hedi from throughout the years, it‘s a very precise system of dressing and clothes with a very specific sleekness and refinement in cut and fabrication that don‘t exist as such elsewhere.

 

[Kimihiro]

If anything, Hedi Slimane menswear is really distinct. It’s unforgiving, strict and rigorous. There’s a certain conviction to wearing it.

I feel that he would’ve been a better womenswear designer if he had the spirit of his Dior Homme designs for it.

 

[PPPT]

I feel that he would’ve been a better womenswear designer if he had the spirit of his Dior Homme designs for it.

It really feels like Hedi has kept the Dior Homme era as some kind of sacred ground. I mean, it would’ve been amazing if he just adjusted the proportions, colors, and fabrics a bit it would translate so well into womenswear.

But looking at SL and Celine, it’s clear he barely pulled from that period at all, which I really don’t get. That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering. If he loves repetition so much, why not go back to early 2000s Dior Homme for womenswear?

 

[Lola701]

If anything, Hedi Slimane menswear is really distinct. It’s unforgiving, strict and rigorous. There’s a certain conviction to wearing it.

I feel that he would’ve been a better womenswear designer if he had the spirit of his Dior Homme designs for it.

I feel like or I should say that I expected him to be a better womenswear designer period.
Yes the tailoring is good but I find his clothes for women so anecdotical.
That’s why I have always find it so ironic that from his time at Celine, I end up buying a menswear look.
Even his styling was more interesting and bold in menswear….Even if I’m sure his fans weren’t that daring.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I feel like or I should say that I expected him to be a better womenswear designer period.
Yes the tailoring is good but I find his clothes for women so anecdotical.
That’s why I have always find it so ironic that from his time at Celine, I end up buying a menswear look.
Even his styling was more interesting and bold in menswear….Even if I’m sure his fans weren’t that daring.

I find rather unsurprising that you ended up buying such an outfit when (through the examples of Helmut and Jil) it‘s always been clear to me that Hedi‘s womenswear-specific offerings are but an afterthought of his menswear design approach (similar to when people like Kris Van Assche, Nicolas Andreas Taralis, Neil Barrett or Juun J. design womenswear from a very menswear-oriented point of view). For me it‘s clear that you go to him for great tailoring, separates, a great boot with a comfortable height etc. - Perhaps it‘s also a cultural thing, as coming from the perspective of middle/northern Europe or Asia, women often prefer a look that is less feminine and frivolous. A lot of women I know never wear a shoe with a heel and barely wear make-up at all.

When he accepted Saint Laurent and Celine in the fashion climate, it came with the demands that it needed to work on a global market, where before he did not have to stretch his creativity much at Dior (other than the sneakers and printed t-shirts I never cared much for). I still look with estrangement at certain products that to me clearly read as an effort to have something to sell, say, in the Middle East where his vision might be a tough sell.

 

[Kimihiro]

I feel like or I should say that I expected him to be a better womenswear designer period.
Yes the tailoring is good but I find his clothes for women so anecdotical.
That’s why I have always find it so ironic that from his time at Celine, I end up buying a menswear look.
Even his styling was more interesting and bold in menswear….Even if I’m sure his fans weren’t that daring.

His womenswear is almost all styling exercises, more than how his last two tenures could be argued as wholly such. Not that they’re not effective.

I know many of his menswear customers who’d rather have the direction he had at Celine womenswear. They were complaining that the menswear was too ‘avant-garde’ and not classic Hedi. Personally I find his menswear work at Celine far better than at Saint Laurent (2.0). There was some form of challenge.

 

[HigthaVandah]

Bookmark these posts for whenever Hedi does design again and the discourse is back to "but he's been doing the exact same thing for 30 years".

 

[PDFSD]

There where many collections at Dior years also with a simple knit and jeans mixed in looks etc and was allot down to attitude and styling i don't find its so extreme Dior versus later years other than dior had more design elements he wanted to move away from and be more anecdotal as his obsession for being close to youth cultures crippled mabe his desire to be more design driven as most people seem to find that more interesting.

also i think on men most things can look more shocking still ..so it more easy to find it more creative as well.