phoebe philo

Work, work, work. That seems to be where Phoebe Philo's head was while designing her Fall 2013 collection for Céline: on how to make it easier for her customers with full-time jobs and even fuller lives to get dressed in the morning. And while she cast away the impractical — if entertaining — fur booties and slippers she showed for Spring, she continued to build on last season's soft tailoring.

That meant the cuts in this offering were languid and generous. Pastel-colored coats with huge lapels and rounded shoulders looked cozy, while circle skirts, dresses, and warm knits looked easy to slip into. But Philo always finds a way to make a statement, and she did that by tying her models up in the sleeves of a few coats and dresses. Perhaps that was a word of caution to her customers: do your job well, but don't let it swallow you.

Minimalist master Phoebe Philo cut Céline's Fall 2013 lineup with a cooler eye, creating clean lines with just the right measure of detail. Attention to structure and the architecture of separates are what makes the collection sing — and makes women want to wear it. Skirts this season come with more femininity, fitted throughout the hips but flared, trumpet style, at the knees and paired with boxy turtleneck tops and calf-high booties. It's that cool and wearable brand of androgyny — carried in a minimalist palette, the construction, and Philo's take on plaids. Tartan coats are delivered with modesty and ease in oversize proportions and layered over thigh-high boots, for the more sophisticated customer than those drawn to the punk plaids on other Fall runways. The artfully wrapped sleeves constructed on coats and dresses, too, is a much more polished nod to the shirt tied at the waist from our '90s days. Our full review will be posted shortly; click through now for a look at the collection.

Out with the old, in with the new: the sharp and bright separates that defined last season at Céline have been replaced with slouchier, softer shapes in crisp monochrome hues. Black, white, and navy dominated; on silky tops, wide-leg trousers, cropped leather tees, boxy blazer vests, and mesh-paneled dresses, they looked striking and allowed for Phoebe Philo's new twisted fabric motifs to really shine. And though there were also some sweet charmeuse slipdresses and coolly deconstructed trench coats in pastel hues like lavender, blush, and cream toward the end of the show, it was Philo's layered leather clutches with rolled tops that really had heads turning.

If you can tear your eyes away from the parade of fuzzy slippers coming down the runway, then you can refocus your attention to the Spring lineup offered up by minimalist maestro Phoebe Philo. Above the ankles, Philo's collection delves into new territory, most notably with her accessories, but also with other twists — quite literally: the twisted fabric looped over a shoulder and fastened across the chests and waists of her tops, creating a new architectural storyline in the midst of her simplified, more menswear-informed silhouettes. To that end, we also get get unfinished, raw hemlines that felt a little disheveled, a little sexy maybe. Speaking of sexy, there was that, too — a pretty obvious nod to more sensuous Spring dressing with curve-conscious v-neck dresses, inset with eye-catching netting. As far as wearability, Philo's slouchy separates and clean-cropped leather may rank highest on that list, but it's the shoes and accessories that fascinate — and if the success of Céline's other handbags are any indication, then it's the fresh riffs on the clutch (resembling a kind of luxe paper-bag lunch) that will likely be the biggest draw come Spring.

• Trends: Netting, leather, and crop tops.
• Colors: White, black, navy, and a pop of pastel.
• Key Piece: The sexy dresses with deep necklines inset with netting.
• Accessories: Fuzzy, slipper-style flats and pumps, and roll-top clutches.
• Who Should Wear It: Chloë Sevigny and Anna Dello Russo in the shoes, while we're sure the rest of the fashion elite will be toting the new clutches next season.

Phoebe Philo's Resort 2013 collection for Céline showcased what the house does best: laser-focused, impeccably tailored separates with undeniable graphic appeal. Crisp, wide-legged trousers were a focus this season: some met the ground with a band of color, while others had tuxedo stripes in bright hues. Philo also turned out a few great pieces of outerwear, such as a leopard coat with blue leather sleeves and shoulders and a burgundy coat with multiple horizontal zippers that allow the wearer to create different lengths. Juxtaposed against the defined edges and clean lines were silk scarves tied at the neck, and bias-cut crepe tops draped to create a languid gathering of fabric at the neck.

Through her signature minimalist lens, Phoebe Philo brought forth a sportier chic with the season's call to volume on wide boxy coats and cropped leather jackets for Céline's Fall 2012 collection. There was a subtle departure here from Philo's typical stuff — though it may even be an exaggeration to suggest it's a deviation at all. Rather, Philo enhanced her usual minimalist-chic with a few bold pops of color and a little luxe texture. Shapes were wide and boxy in Céline's signature fashion, but we did get a taste of bold flavor on fuchsia-washed fur on a long coat and a puffed up sweatshirt-style top. The usual fare was a simplified, albeit volume-injected exercise in androgynous outerwear silhouettes, cropped pants, and slouchy track pants. In every pared-down piece, from the leather shells to the streamlined clutches each model had in hand, Philo honed her craft for an uncomplicated cool.

• Trends: Boxy coats, leather, color-saturated fur, colorblocking, minimalism.
• Colors: Blue, orange, black, white, pink.
• Key Look: The boxy navy car coat with brown leather lapels.
• Accessories: Wide oversize handheld clutches; white pointy-toe pumps.
• Who Would Wear It: Fashion's unfussy types.

All photos courtesy of Céline

In lieu of her usual runway show, Phoebe Philo — eight months pregnant with her third child — opted instead to show Fall 2012 Céline via two small showroom presentations. Despite the lighter crowd and the more intimate setting, the collection still packed quite a punch. The main message was volume — an idea Philo dabbled in for Pre-Fall — but here, it appeared full-on and in supersize proportions; coats were pumped-up to the max, ankle trousers were wide and pleated, sleeveless tops were geometric and boxy, and dresses had super-rounded shoulders and sleeves. Colorblock — the collection's other main element — was used to great effect in combinations of tomato, cobalt, navy, and camel.

Photos: Courtesy of Céline

>> Phoebe Philo pumped up the volume for Pre-Fall 2012, working some serious mass into her signature strong-lined silhouettes. Pants were cut generously through the hip, and jackets looked ultra-roomy with the addition of large lapels and rounded shoulder seams. Peplums, bows, and a smattering of patchwork added just a hint of playfulness, while shiny leather and textural fur provided contrast to the otherwise stark palette of navy, gray, and black.