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

[helena]

I must goand lookat s/s 06 again as I can't remember it

 

[LoveMyBoots]

^ That must not be a good sign.

I understand that she wants to spend more time with her family, but it would be such a shame for her to leave so early in her career. Yeah, I agree the past couple of seasons weren't as good as they could have been, but like other posts has pointed out it was created by a team as a whole. Stella McCartney increased the "awareness" of the Chloe brand, while Pheobe could now define the house. But since she might be leaving....

 

[helena]

The fact that I can't remember the show doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't a good show. I can remember Galliano's last show and it was certainly not very good.

She has acheived so much already...why is it a 'shame' professionally if she were to take some time out just now?

 

[cheiby11]

That's sad because she is really great designer.

I like her very much she seems to be a very kind and nice person.
I hope she will be happy anywhere!!!

 

[calexico]

i remember reading an article in vogue about her...
a few months back...
and thinking about how much she's changed through the years...
(and how much her work reflects the girl or woman that she is at the time)
from a rockin' young thing
to woman with an amazing professional life
and now to someone who desires a quiet, balanced life with her family...

i think that is a wondreful progression...
it will be unfortunate if the fashion industry loses her though...
i would like to see her work continue to shift as a reflection of her personal growth as a woman...

 

[Ella]

I can't remember S/S 06 either, that can't be good. I just remember I didn't like it.
It's going to be sad if Phoebe leaves Chloé but it's going to be interesting to see who succeeds her. And I completely respect her reasons for (possibly) leaving.

 

[Someday]

Did anyone notice that Chloe was misspelled in that article?

 

[Spacemiu]

I like her work, so it would be sad to see her go, although there is always a possibility for improvment.

May be she will stay on as more a figure head and having less involvment in the actuall design and more pure creative direction.

 

[fashionista-ta]

spring 06 was once again designed by phoebe...
she returned last march...
and that's what i consider the current collection (the most recent one shown)

i do think that it was a bit of a departure from the previous chloe that we have all come to expect...
having said that...i also don't think it is as strong as the chloe we have come to expect...

and i don't think there is any sexism at play helena...
really i don't ...
if anything...she is receiving special treatment because she is a woman/mother...men don't take maternity leave or ask for extra time off to spend with their family for the most part...she even had a studio opened in another country just for her convenience...that's pretty swish...

truthfully, i can see the conflict...
the company wants to expand while she wants to scale down...
something has got to give.......

i think they will come to some sort of compromise...
hopefully the powers that be will realise the importance of keeping the right designer and of creating a situation in which the creativity can flourish....
because if she is miserable at home...she won't be able to do her best work either...

and maybe the industry will try to do what was done with the supermodels...
stop turning them into celebrities......
it makes it very difficult for people who may be very talented designers but aren't particularly good 'actors'...
people whose entire life does not revolve around their career...
in other words...'heathy, well-adjusted folks'...

Well, the men in my industry commonly take paternity leave ... they may spend most of it working ... but then they don't have any stitches, do they I think the reason male designers aren't known for taking paternity leave might be found in the "Is Karl Lagerfeld, or Any Other Designers, Gay" thread I can't put my finger on it, but I could swear I was just reading about a male designer who chose to work in a particular city. Ah, I'm remembering ... *not* a male designer ... it was Giannini at Gucci who just got married ...

However, Nicolas Guesquiere is pretty well known for his studio/atelier preferences--it's a creative thing but something he demanded and got, and why not?

I don't think Helena was necessarily calling sexism on the part of the company ... who knows, maybe there is some, we're not nearly close enough to know ... but there may be sexism in the thinking about the situation.

One thing I've noticed in my industry is young, single guys wasting a lot of time at work because they have nothing else to do. I think there's a lot to be said for full time but limited, focused, laser effort. You don't have to spend your whole life at work to be really, really good.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Did anyone notice that Chloe was misspelled in that article?

I think it was just an issue of the special character getting screwed up ...

 

[arlekindearrabal]

it would be so stupid of her to leave now... i mean, i'm sure this has to do with that whole family vs work scenario many successful women nowaday have to face... but i mean, her husband works too, no?? or is he willing to give up his career too, in order to spend time with mom and daughter?... if she feels like it, it's her choice ultimately (and it would be a shame, really), i wouldnt expect her to conform to those stupid gender roles...

 

[QuirkyCool]

Quirky - I am not sure her last few collections have been half hearted (bearing in mind that sales are up and the current collection was her design team's work) have they? Arguably Elbaz's last collection (s/s 06) is weaker that the previous ones but no-one is accusing him of being half hearted(or a one trick pony)..... Maybe its just easier to critisise women who have family commitments as being part-timers or half-hearted because its an easy critisicm to make - I see it all the time. Its can damaging to working women in general to jump to this conclusion imo.

I happen to be a woman who works in a very demanding profession and who finds her family very important.I completely understand having a job where it is very hard to give less than 130%.I am also the daughter of a woman who has pursued a very successful career all her life,without having her family suffer one bit.I am fully aware of the career/family dichotomy woman have to face each day.

I think it's rather unfair to ascribe all sorts of sexist gender role prejudices to me when you don't know me.I just didn't like the collections,and I have the right to say so.

I was merely expressing an opinion,and you are free not to agree.This is a thread about a fashion designer,and I don't think any of us is trying to turn it into a gender issues debate.

I think most of the other posters are just trying to say that they find it sad to see her go,anyway.

 

[Lena]

agree quirky..
nothing to do with sexism or stereotypes, it's just Phoebe wanting out of her Chloe job, simple no?
and needless to say, we all are more than free to express our opinions, thats what forums are all about.

respect rules

 

[Pastry]

yes! the two posts above me - thank you! this was never a gender issue, imo..

and what I meant by mrs. philo being selfish...i belive she is going to leave a lot of loose ends.
- i would like to see where she's going with this new attitude she showed for spring 2006.
- he fans are going to be devastated
- she's going to leave a gaping hole. some things you just don't get over

imo, a creative person like her might get tired of baby/husband (or even being away from the drawing board) and will really want to come back. all creative people get bored fast

 

[Scott]

I notice a couple of you might be mis-reading. Where in the article did it say she was actually leaving fashion? How does one equate leaving Chloe for leaving fashion altogether? She might start a small collection of her own on her own time. Whose to say,that she's selfish for wanting to be with her family more? IMO,when you have the exhausting pressures of having to basically head a house like Chloe,one can understand where she comes from. It's arduous and utterly time consuming.

 

[helena]

I happen to be a woman who works in a very demanding profession and who finds her family very important.I completely understand having a job where it is very hard to give less than 130%.I am also the daughter of a woman who has pursued a very successful career all her life,without having her family suffer one bit.I am fully aware of the career/family dichotomy woman have to face each day.

I think it's rather unfair to ascribe all sorts of sexist gender role prejudices to me when you don't know me.I just didn't like the collections,and I have the right to say so.

I was merely expressing an opinion,and you are free not to agree.This is a thread about a fashion designer,and I don't think any of us is trying to turn it into a gender issues debate.

I think most of the other posters are just trying to say that they find it sad to see her go,anyway.

Quirky, I wasn't having a go at you at all and I wasn't saying you were being sexist in the slightest (honestly). Please don't think that.... Its a thorny topic....women with families & the whole work/life balance debate. Its totally fair enough if you didn't like the collections.

Trouble is, I have too often heard the same old arguement that 'women can't do their jobs properly after they have children' which is often trotted out by, dare I say it, predominantly men in power. I get the impression (not from you Quirky) that some people think that to give up her job would some how be a 'shame' or a failure on her part....or even a waste. Just because someone has a talent, they don't owe it to anyone (apart from themselves arguably) to exploit that talent.......

If she has talent, like many think she does, she'll start her own label and work at her own pace & acheive success in her own way and in her own time and not as an employee of a big company, giving her best years ultimately to line anonymous shareholders pockets.

 

[- belle -]

I think it would be bad if she goes from Chloe. However, this is a selfish comment, because she has her reasons for leaving....
And I agree with everything that Helena and Softgrey said.. so I have nothing more to say myself.

 

[iperlchen]

spring 06 was once again designed by phoebe...

Whew, I'm not crazy. I just got a bit confused when people were talking about 'last collection' with which they obviously were referring to F/W 05

Then I take back what I said. It's sad if she quits Chloé now that I found it to take an interesting, new direction. I hope communication with the design team runs smoothly so that they are capable of continuing her plans.
I don't think she's being selfish at all Who's more important in your life than you? Agreeing with Scott, I expect her - if she actually leaves Chloé - to find another place somewhere in fashionland.

 

[Scott]

^Yes. If she is indeed leaving. Actually,if she is in fact departing,I applaud her. She's got guts I don't think anybody would have if in her position. To leave from the money just to be around her family more....it just shows the kind of person she is and what's more important to her. It's a very down-to-earth,integral gesture,imo.

And unlike the whole Tom Ford fiasco or the Jil and Helmut saga...she'd be leaving on her own terms.

 

[PrincessImp.]

It might not be a bad thing for her to leave at all, if that is true.
To stay and make a half-hearted attempt at being a fashion director would be unfair to everyone in Chloe...

Sometimes a sabbatical may be beneficial and who knows?
She may come back again..either to Chloe, another designer house or even start her own label..
Only when there is change is there progress.