đź’ Celine for VOGUE Japan
This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN May 2017 Issue No. 213.
CELINE
VOGUE Japan May 2017.
The clothing that Phoebe Philo creates for Celine has often been described as wearable artwork. She elevates the everyday wardrobe of modern women to a place where it feels both relevant and yet revolutionary. And from the beginning of her time at the house she has found creative ways to incorporate inspirations from other artists into her sartorial universe. She has done this via her invitations, moodboard books she leaves on the seats for guests and, of course, the set designs for her show.
But for her most recent spring/summer show she wove her artistic muses into her work in two much more literal ways. First she turned to the modern artist and writer Dan Graham, who is renowned for his “installation” artwork, to concoct an undulating glass walls that dissected the audience. The walls separated the guest but, as they were transparent, they also made it possible for a visual connection to remain between the individuals.
“I first came across Dan’s work at the Dia in NYC many years ago. I thought it was beautiful…. ,” said Philo about the contemporary artist. “I wanted to see my collection cast through the kaleidoscope of Dan’s installation. The fact that people can see themselves and the collection makes for more complex reflections,” she explained.
As the show unfolded — filled with tailored jackets, ensembles with graphic cut outs sliced at the sides, mismatched shoes and draped dresses in neon hues – guests could watch the reaction of others to Philo’s work as the models glide by. The two-way glass had the audience simultaneously seeing themselves and those sitting opposite them. Resulting in a viscerally experience which made it possible sense to how others responded to the designs in real time and appreciate the work in an unconventional way.
“ I want to show that our bodies are bound to the world, whether we like it or not….” pronounced Dan Graham in a typed statement that was featured on the show’s invitation. His cryptic words being open to a multitude of interpretations in light of his divisive yet inclusive set.
But what the designer appreciated most about the artist’s work, and her show’s set in particular, was how it elegantly channeled everyday life and ordinary elements into something unexpectedly and serenely beautiful. “I love the fact that this pavilion by Dan Graham, made up of readily available corporate materials {2way glass}, offers an opportunity to question our present day, highlighting the complexities and contradictions of every day life,” she said. “Social interaction, fantasy, and life in general are the main driving forces in my work and Dan Graham’s installation is therefore an interesting and powerful way for me to present my collection to the audience,” she added.
The other artist that Philo turned to this season was Yves Klein. Designers commonly use the iconic Yves Klein blue color in their collections but never has one made such a clear allusion to some of his most iconic work.
Back in the 1960s Klein famously panted nude models in his signature color and then had them press their naked bodies onto paper, leaving a colorful traces of their female forms on the canvas. These works are known as the Anthropometry paintings. The also happen to be some of Philo’s favorite modern art prints.
So in a homage that felt very much in keeping with the designer’s overarching artistic inclinations, Philo flipped the narrative on the Anthropometry nudes. On two white dresses in her collection she returned those celebrated two dimensional nudes to their three-dimensional origins. She reproduced in her own way the blue print outline. But this time the curves of her model’s bodies gave the flat forms new life. It made for a brilliant and bold statement about the female body that conveyed an inspiration that somehow also felt rooted in a feminist repossession of self.
Philo is a private woman of few words. She rarely talks with the press and most often only via email. But what she doesn’t say with hundreds of magazine and newspaper interviews or via social media posts speaks just as forcefully. She is a designer who leaves it all on the catwalk. Each season the artists that inspire her or that she collaborates with to present her collections are her heralds. They are the ones that help to hone her narrative and vision down to a precision perfect result. One designed to make sure that her message is heard loud and clear.
Pheobe Philo for Celine, 2017, Vogue.
