JOANNE Watkinson

THE PHOEBE PHILO-SOPHY MAKES A RETURN

Phoebe Philo has announced her return to fashion with her own eponymous brand.

For some of you that announcement will be music to your ears, others maybe asking Phoebe who?

Allow me to re-cap. The British designer was the artistic director at French Luxury Fashion Brand, Celine, before stepping down four years ago leaving her legions of fans bereft.

Celine lost its accent (over the E, to streamline the logo we were told) and wealthy women, the world over, lost the collection they relied upon for its unrivalled nonchalant elegance.

To add insult to injury for those who were fans of her style, Hedi Slimane, the designer who took over at Celine took the brand down his rock chick path.

“Old Celine” social media accounts were set up by fans to keep the Celine by Phoebe Philo look alive.

Even if like me, Celine is out of your price range, it’s likely you will have been inadvertently wearing clothes inspired by her time at Celine.

Despite generally ignoring trends in her collections, Phoebe was the instigator of more trends than you can shake at stick at: scarf print shirts, camel coats, quilted sliders, furry shoes – even the Stan Smiths Phoebe wore for her post-show bow became instantly fashionable again.

She is one of the most influential designers of her time. At Celine, simplicity was key, oversized polo necks became must haves and unlike some super brands, her pieces, were designed for longevity.

Even seasonal prints were timeless, and became wardrobe staples to be worn for many years to come.

Since her new label announcement, which was brief to say the least, there has been much speculation.

We know we have to wait until 2022 for its launch, that she will be London-based and that quality and design are to be her focus.

We also know it’s minority funded by old employers LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), but beyond that we are in the dark.

Will it be women’s, men’s, unisex? And will she replicate the aesthetic she created at Celine or perhaps throw us back to her time at Chloe in 2004 when she

made the banana print the hottest thing around.

The fashion world waits with baited breath, no pressure Phoebe!