‘If you feel beautiful and pretty, you can’t be sad and miserable’
The story behind pop star Celine Dion’s stylish comeback
We all know Celine Dion as one of the best-selling musicians of all time, queen of the love ballad and the woman who was responsible for at least three of the cassettes in every 90s family car. But for all her astonishing achievements, Dion has never been particularly well-known for her style (which is fair enough when you’re busy smashing out hit after hit).
So when the Canadian singer arrived at Dior’s show at the recent Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in the established fashion editor uniform — black on black on black — it was the first sign that she might be entering a new phase of her life, on a mission to reposition herself as a part of the fashion crowd.
A month on, she is still taking her fashion rebirth very seriously indeed. On a weekend last month, she wore seven different outfits in 24 hours, all sourced from big name fashion houses such as Gucci and Versace. Another sign of Dion’s commitment to establishing a reputation for style as well as songs comes in the form of Hollywood stylist Law Roach, who she hired just weeks before Paris fashion week to mastermind her style overhaul.
Roach, who styles tween stars Ariana Grande and Zendaya, has been dressing the 48 year old in key pieces by Gucci, Balmain, Balenciaga, Celine, Chloe and Saint Laurent. The loud prints, sweeping coats, bold colours and stilettos are all in keeping with Celine Dion’s diva persona, but he has also balanced this with some unlikely twists that you wouldn’t expect from Las Vegas-era Dion.
There is also evidence that Dion has thrown herself wholeheartedly into these fashion experiments. Earlier last month, the My Heart Will Go On singer was seen out and about in the cult Titanic hoodie by Parisian label Vetements, creating the most meta of fashion moments. Meanwhile, Roach has also tempted her to try head-to-toe Gucci catwalk looks and styled her hair in a “Hackney hun”, that’s the half-up, half down style you’ ll have spotted on the tween crowd.
There is a very personal significance to Dion’s renaissance. Six months ago, her husband of 22 years René Angélil died of cancer. Over the weekend, Dion opened up to the Today Show about her difficult year. “It’s been a journey. It’s been hard seeing the love of your life suffering for the last three years. It’s been really hard, but millions of people are going through this. And I feel very strong because not only that he loved me so much for many, many lives to come — he gave me three magnificent kids, so much knowledge, stability and confidence.”
Dion seems to be dressing for a new chapter, using fashion to find extra confidence, strength and project a positive outlook. “I have to say that, coming here after the passing of my husband after not even six months (later), it could have been way easy for me to say, ‘You know what, I’m not in the mood of dressing up and having the purse and seeing the fans and having a good time and singing, giving a part of your soul,” Dion said to Entertainment Tonight. “But knowing that he (Angelil) loved the industry so much — he made me who I am today since (I was) 12 years old — I went back on stage before he passed, he wanted me to really be the artist I always wanted to be, and I knew that for a long time.”
“She’s really enjoying herself,” Roach told People “I know she’s enjoying herself and we’re enjoying each other because we tell each other every day. I’m here almost every day and it makes me so happy to see her so happy. If I had a small piece of [creating] that with the clothes and the fittings and the shoes and the bags, then I am overjoyed.”
“I think she’s really enjoying fashion and being out and being seen and getting photographed,” he added. “Fashion is the most interactive art form. It’s nostalgic and it can take you to another place. If you feel beautiful and pretty, you can’t be sad and miserable. It’s just impossible.”
As for what the styling process is like between the two, Dion said to Entertainment Tonight: “Working with Law Roach is quite an experience to be honest with you. He brought me out of my closet and now flowers are growing. Even my kids are like, ‘We want a bow like this, we want a dress like this’ — even if they’re boys. They’re into fashion, they’re into characters, everything they say they like, whether it’s for a girl or a boy, they want it.”
Something tells us that there’s plenty more to come from Dion’s big fashion misson.