Phoebe Philo, who was in town to accept her International Award from the CFDA last week, wasn't in attendance at this morning's presentation, but she would've been chuffed, no doubt, to see all the Celine in the crowd. Of course, it's no news that Philo's accessories have become the bags and the shoes to carry and wear. It's safe to say, though, that she's done it again for Resort. The models wore white flatforms, but our money is on the patent gold pair hanging out on a shelf on a wall, for the way it combines the mirrored heel of Philo's first Resort collection for the house and the platform of Spring '10, two of the most coveted shoes in recent memory.
As for the clothes, Philo is still pushing the wardrobe concept, covering the basics and then some. The thing is, in her hands nothing is ever basic: bold, or maybe even brave, is more like it. Philo's trench, for example, comes in gray plastic. Her three-piece suit (jacket, pants, button-down) is cut in an oversize floral—her minimalist phase may be over. And she's set the bar high on the overworked color-blocking trend by cutting a coat in a gridlike pattern of leather swatches, a statement maker if ever there was one.
That structured topper aside, though, Philo is cultivating an interest in fluidity—see the soft, slouchy cut of her menswear trousers, the longer, looser silhouette of her skirts, and the collection's black and white striped pajama set. Apparently, she's also polishing her sense of humor, too; Philo included logo T-shirts in a lineup that otherwise took its fashion very seriously.
