Phoebe Philo - Life After Chloe - *Update* Creative Director for Celine

[kimair]

according to wwd, philo has been approached to take over for peter dundas at ungaro...

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

are you serious?
i can't see her at ungaro as it now stands... ungaro might be headed in a better direction.

 

[albertli1984]

NO SHOW: Emanuel Ungaro, which parted ways with designer Peter Dundas in July, will forego the catwalk during Paris Fashion Week and has canceled its scheduled Oct. 4 outing. "As we await the appointment of a creative director, we decided not to have a runway show," Mounir Moufarrige, Ungaro's chief executive officer, said Thursday. He noted the spring collection will be designed by an in-house team and sold at its Avenue Montaigne salons Oct. 5 to 11. Moufarrige said he would name a new designer "in due course. We'll be out on the runway in March with a new designer." He declined further comment on the search. According to sources, former Chloé designer Phoebe Philo and hot London newcomer Christopher Kane are among those who have been approached.


I find this from wwd.com

 

[softgrey]

Phoebe Philo In Talks With Celine

Godfrey Deeny
March 19th, 2008 @ 12:18 AM - London Phoebe Philo, the former creative director of Chloe, may be about to return to the fashion the world after a semi sabbatical of three years as the designer of Paris label Celine.

Philo has been in intensive negotiations for several weeks with Celine, even though as yet no deal has been signed between the UK designer and the French ladies label.

Fashion circles had been obsessed with the future plans of Philo since she dramatically quit her job at Chloe in 2005, in the most prominent example of designer burnout this century. Interest peaked again last week after her former assistant at Chloe, Hannah MacGibbon, was appointed creative director of the brand.

The return of the highly acclaimed Philo would be a significant coup for Celine and for its owner, French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Though its boasts such talents as John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs in its extended designer stable, it has always been ever so slightly outshone by its nearest, albeit smaller, rival, Gucci Group, in terms of star quality in its creative squad.

Celine president Serge Brunschwig declined to comment on the development, directing enquiries to LVMH’s official spokesman Olivier Labesse.

“I can say absolutely nothing; we do not comment on rumors,” Labesse told FWD.

Despite intensive talks, both sides are understood to be significantly apart in terms, with Philo requesting a salary several times as large as Celine’s current designer, Croatian-born Ivana Omazic. Calls to Philo’s London office were not returned.

Philo quit Chloe after a series of stellar and coolly feminine collections that won critical raves and dramatic sales increases. Three years later, she would still be widely viewed as the signal most sought after designer of talent currently not holding a major position.

Last year, Paris was flooded with rumors that Philo has struck a deal with the Gucci Group and would return to the international catwalks with her own eponymous collection in autumn of 2008. Executives familiar with all the players say Philo had been in talks with Gucci Group for several months and was close to signing signed an understanding of the partnership before Christmas.

However, when queried by FWD about a possible deal with Philo, Francois Pinault, the scion of the family that controls Gucci Group responded: “Not as far as I know.”

Whoever she eventually links up with, Philo will remain based in London, but will likely show her collections abroad, though the location may vary according to season, possibly crossing The Pond.

Since quitting Chloe, Philo has been quietly been consulting to Gap, though none of her design ideas carry her name on a label. In response, Gap already become a hipper brand in Europe, and has suddenly come back into fashion for London and Paris hipsters.

Celine will be considered a potentially ideal vehicle for Philo’s design skills, as a reputable brand with a tradition of quality but lacking a strong brand DNA, thus allowing a clear canvas on which the designer can work. Celine is known for a quintessentially Parisian style, first developed by Madame Celine Vipiana, the Polish-born, French-implant who started the brand as a girls' shoe company in 1945.

That said, LVMH president and key shareholder Bernard Arnault has been known to firmly refuse what he sees as excessive wage demands by even exceptional designers, most famously baulking at requests by Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane and declining to renew the contract of a man considered the best men’s designer in fashion.

Asked about a potential Celine linkup, one friend of Philo’s responded: “If Phoebe does not get what she thinks is a fair deal her skills, she is perfectly capable of deciding just to concentrate on being a mother to her child Maya.”

At the time of leaving Chloe, Philo explained that,
"My decision to resign is for personal reasons, especially to spend more time with my new baby in the coming months."

fwd.com

 

[chloehandbags]

in the most prominent example of designer burnout this century

I thought she left because she wanted to spend more time with Maya and (supposedly) Chloe weren't being flexible enough?

I've never heard it described as designer burnout, before...

I wonder if this Celine story is true, or whether it's just another rumour?

I also wonder, if it is true and Philo is available for another full time placement (and as they have, clearly, recently been looking to replace PMA), why Chloe didn't just get Phoebe back on board? There is a precedent for re-employing a previous designer at the house, after all (Lagerfeld).

Maybe they didn't want to pay enough for her? If so, I very much hope that Hannah will be great, of course, but it's possible they may live to regret it...

Thanks very much for posting, softgrey!

 

[cecil]

^ Are they really trying to replance PMA?

 

[chloehandbags]

^ They've replaced him with Philo's former assistant:

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/chloe-taps-new-designer-66352.html​

 

[Spike413]

Absolutely a bad idea imo.

I really came to know Celine under Michael Kors, and while he's hardly regarded as the most creative force in fashion, that sort of luxe Euro-jet set image tinged with an American sportswear sensibility is what I associate with Celine. Say what you will about him, at least when he was creative director Celine had a clear identity, now I couldn't even tell you who the creative director is, let alone what their aesthetic is like. Clearly Celine is in need of something new.

But the last thing the fashion world needs is another house forcing hip, cool, girly clothes down the industry's throat. Philo for Celine just makes no sense to me at all.

 

[JuiceMajor]

I personally would embrace this idea greatly! But would Celine let Phoebe do what she did for Chloe?

 

[chloehandbags]

But the last thing the fashion world needs is another house forcing hip, cool, girly clothes down the industry's throat.

I'm a bit confused by what you mean by that, TBH - do you think there are a lot of houses doing that, currently, then?

If so, which ones? Apart from Stella McCartney, that is.

BTW, what's so wrong with hip and cool (or girly, for that matter)?

Do you prefer unhip and uncool, then?

At the end of the day, many girls and women love Philo's style and they're the ones who handed over their credit cards, whilst she was at Chloe.

I agree that Celine does seem a little ladylike for Philo, but if you compare what MK was doing at Celine in S/S '04 with what Philo was doing at Chloe in the same season, although different, it wasn't a million miles away.

In fact, although I'm not a regular Celine customer, I bought items from both collections that season.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I feel torn ... while I would love to see Phoebe back on the scene, I think Ivana's doing a good job at Celine ... I'm sure this whatever-it-is has got to be hard on her I sure would hate to read that the only sticking point with replacing me was that the other woman wanted several times my salary Celine produces some really lovely, wearable clothes. And even Zazie was impressed with this most recent collection If you ask me, what they really need is better PR, not a new designer.

 

[fashionistasista]

agreed...

thanks for the article softgrey!

 

[disco54]

i think the designer at celine is fine . Phoebe should just start her own line. period.

 

[Scott]

i agree she should start her own collection with her own rules and her own freedoms....

 

[kahlilg]

i think the designer at celine is fine . Phoebe should just start her own line. period.

Yeah it wouldn't hurt.

 

[lemeray]

Agree with Spike when Micheal Kors was designing for Celine, I don't think he is innovative or extremely talented...ever since he left the line has been a disaster...

 

[disco54]

phoebe at celine , is like paulo at chloe , the aesthetic at celine is too womanly .

 

[chloehandbags]

^ To an extent, I tend to agree.

Although, I don't think it would be anywhere near as much of a stretch for Philo at Celine, as it was for Paulo at Chloe, personally, as the Philo aesthetic and the Celine aesthetic aren't opposites in the way that Paulo's hard, reserved and stark and Chloe's soft, expressive and feminine aesthetics are.

I think Philo could do it (quite easily and very well, in fact); but the question is, should she?

If she stuck to the grown-up Celine aesthetic, would it restrict her? Or, if she didn't, would it change the aesthetic of the house to the extent that it would alienate Celine's current clientèle?

I guess it all depends on how plentiful, faithful and big-spending Celine's current clientèle are and/or whether Phoebe prefers to do her own thing, completely, or enjoys the challenge of adapting her creativity to suit the job at hand?

From a purely selfish POV, assuming the rumour is true (and she is intending to adapt her aesthetic to suit Celine, rather than the other way around), I would, personally, prefer her to return to Chloe, or start her own line, as I tend to prefer easy, casual clothing, mixed with a bit of femininity and glamour, to womanly clothes.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Perhaps Chloe and Celine will become best friends.

 

[chloehandbags]

^