Celine Spring 2026: A Walk in the Park
- Michael Rider's sophomore Celine show took place in Parc de Saint-Cloud, outside of central Paris, with an open-air runway theater set up in a shady alley, aiming to provide a different experience for attendees.
For his sophomore show, Michael Rider decamped from Celine headquarters in central Paris to Parc de Saint-Cloud — about a one-hour car ride away, or nearly 90 minutes by public transit — and erected an open-air runway theater in a shady, breezy alley.
"I thought it would be nice if we got out of the city and to a park, where I think it's nice to spend time," he said after the show.
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Although the hugely inconvenient venue was different, the collection felt familiar — on purpose.
Asked how he approached his second effort, he replied, "Not much different than the first. We were thinking still in terms of foundation."
Indeed, Rider had set a promising and fetching template with his debut, drawing the best elements from the Hedi Slimane era and the Phoebe Philo years, of which he was part, and folding in his own point of view as an American who spent the last eight years designing at Polo Ralph Lauren.
So he doubled down on mannish jackets with a vaguely apple-core shape, skinny jeans, plays on tuxedo dressing, and preppy signifiers like polo and rugby shirts, the latter oversize in fluid silk.
Newish elements included feisty baby-doll dresses in soigne boucle, or psychedelic florals — and a bevy of logo bicycle helmets. Why?
"When I moved back to Paris , I was so happy to see that cycling had become a thing here," he said. "All the stylish kids show up in the studio with their helmets hooked on their elbows."
Rider's Celine blows the stuffiness out of idealized Parisian dressing with scarf-like collars spilling off coats and jackets, vaguely bohemian jewelry, mostly sensible shoes and an offhand way of carrying handbags or a doffed leather coat.
The menswear held its own, which is a rarity with coed shows this season, and seemed aimed squarely at the influential Korean boy band members in the front row.
The show did not have the electricity of Rider's first outing, but enough spunk to let you know that fresh air is blowing through the house.
Launch Gallery: Céline Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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