A TITANIC FASHION WEEK FOR CELINE

I F YO U LOOK at a Big Bird yellow tutu, a spandex unitard or a pair of asymmetrical jeans and think ‘Fun! But no sane person would willingly go out in that in real life’ then you and Celine Dion will probably never be friends. Because when we think ‘challenging’, the bold balladeer thinks ‘opportunity’.

Over the past three years, couture week has become Celine’s own personal playground, where outré designer clothes are the toys. She’s the style equivalent of an ice-cream sundae: extravagant, ridiculous, and absolutely irresistible. Last week she served up yet another stellar performance, turning the streets of Paris into one great big photo op in out-there ensembles.

There she was in a 3D-printed Iris Van Herpen gown. Here in a spray-painted Off-white leotard and blazer (no pants, of course). Over there in a draped Alexandre Vauthier dress looking like she had just descended from Mount Olympus circa 700BC. Her couture carry-on was predictably gobbled up by the internet. In an industry where muted enthusiasm is the default reaction setting, and blasé the de rigueur demeanour, she’s a reminder of why many of us fell in love with fashion in the first place: the escapism, the fantasy, the optimism. Celine doesn’t care about being cool; she cares about having fun. Her appeal is rooted in the pure joy she expresses and evokes.

Celine’s renaissance as a fashion icon was masterminded by Law Roach – the ‘image architect’ who also works with Zendaya and who’s previously told Grazia of Celine, ‘She is such a fashion girl if I’ve ever met one. She loves it!’ – but since the beginning of the year she’s been working with a new styling team: Sydney Lopez and Pepe Muñoz. Together, they’ve nailed the CD formula.

Certainly, Celine shows no sign of slowing down. Last week, like all good performers, she saved something for the encore, giving the fans another moment when she appeared on the final day in Vetements’ Titanic necklace. Because that’s the thing about the Québécois queen of kitsch, she’s knows you’re smiling – she’s smiling too.