Is your Instagram feed covered with Michael Rider For Celine runway photos and you’re kind of wondering who Michael Rider is and my thoughts on his first collection. Let’s chat.
It’s been roughly ten days since Michael Rider showcased his first collection as creative director for Celine. When Michael Rider’s name was first announced as the next creative director for Celine following Hedi Slimane, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Rider had worked under Phoebe Philo during her tenure at the house of Celine, then appointed creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren for women. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a return to Philo era Celine or a Ralph Lauren spin on Celine. I was worried about seeing the latter, of course. I also thought that it isn’t a simple undertaking to take on a house of this magnitude.
I wrote about Hedi Slimane previously, and as you may know I’m not a big fan. Fashion is subjective. If you’re a fan – we all like different things and that’s ok. This after all is an opinion piece in a personal blog. Throughout his tenure, I watched Slimane take a very feminist fashion house from Philo and turn it into a preppy, haute bourgeois parisien chic maison, so to speak. His collections were tone deaf, in my opinion. So I wasn’t sure if this was going to be another miscalculation on LVMH’s part.
This blog post is all about Michael Rider and his first collection at Celine and of course, my personal thoughts.
HISTORY
Interestingly enough, there isn’t a lot of information on who Rider is. I would think that he’s due for an interview sometime. Rider was born in Washington D.C. and went to Brown University, where he studied Latin-American studies and Education, and graduated in 2002.
ROLES IN FASHION HOUSES
Following his graduation, he worked at Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquière as a senior designer from 2004-2008. He then joined Celine and worked under Phoebe Philo as a design director from 2008-2018. Celine, of course, found a decade-long success under Philo and her team during this time. A decade in a single company is a very long time, so Rider is very familiar with the house of Celine and its history, and has very well taken part in building the infamous pieces that made Celine what it was. After Philo’s departure in 2017, Rider joined Polo Ralph Lauren in 2018 as the creative director for the women’s line.
FIRST COLLECTION S/S 2026
I had marked my calendar for this first show, but family emergencies kept me away from watching the show live. What I first saw were snippets of people posting the re-edition of the phantom luggage tote and I truly remember that moment and how I felt. It felt like Philo had come back to Celine and Rider should have succeeded her all along.
When I took a closer look and watched the show in its entirety, I had a slightly different perspective. Rider’s collection is truly a mix of Phoebe Philo, Hedi Slimane, and Polo Ralph Lauren’s style. I saw many elements of Philo’s proportions, layering, and playfulness with colors and style. I was reminded of Slimane through the skinny jeans, rock and roll all-black dress code, and that chic Parisian element, and finally Ralph Lauren was ever so present with its color palette, preppy influence, and Classic American style. Hard to explain, but looks could be dissected into elements from each of those designers and houses. The cardigan on sweater layering is particularly an ode to both Philo’s sweater on sweater styling, and Polo Ralph Lauren’s.
‘Personally when I watch a show, I am looking for inspiration, wearability, and most importantly trying to learn the designer’s distinct style. Rider gave me all those things.’ – Girl on the UES
PHILO’S INFLUENCE
Philo’s influence over his collection is particularly palpable because of her unique take on how to dress women. I wrote about her in a separate blog post, and yes I’m a fan and this still is an opinion piece in a personal blog. But Philo’s influence on Fashion is huge and often not credited enough. But also less ambiguously, she was present because of the re-edition of the beloved bag, the Phantom tote, brought back in a east west variation, with a flap, and a full on smile. If this is all new to you, this is a bag that has been compared to a robot face, with the handles’ base serving as the eyes and the mini zipper as the mouth. I’ve written an entire blog post on the Philo era Nano Luggage Bag I own, it truly holds a lot of sentimental value for me. The Phantom tote is the much larger version of that bag with exaggerated bat wings making it very spacious. Rider gave the bag a full on smile through its zipper, sort of acknowledging the historically drawn parallel.
I think the nostalgia felt for old Céline was primarily because we haven’t seen Philo era items on the runway in a very long time, since 2018 that is. But also because Philo’s collections through her namesake brand didn’t exactly materialize in the way old Céline did. Philo, like many designers, has shown a certain evolution as she designs for certain houses. Her fan base did not necessarily get what they thought they would when she launched her namesake brand. Many expected a continuation of Old Céline.
PHILO ERA BAGS THAT MADE A COME BACK
Top: Left, Celine era Phantom Bag (property of Céline). Right, Michael Rider’s Re-edition.
Second Row: Left, The Trapeze Bag (property of Céline). Right, the re-edition.
Third Row: Left, Céline era Big Bag. Right: the re-edition.
Fourth Row: Left, Black Box Clasp Bag. Right: The re-edition.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON RIDER’S COLLECTION
Rider’s collection may have taken a page from each one of those designers and paid homage, by acknowledging the past and legacy, etc. but it wasn’t done in a way that was easy to dissect. He blended the different styles with a lot of thought and taste, and most importantly he made it his own. Personally when I watch a show, I am looking for inspiration, wearability, and most importantly trying to learn the designer’s distinct style. Rider gave me all those things.
As he launches this collection in 2025, I think there is a want and need for that preppy meets Parisian take on dressing. Between Caroline Bessette Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., much of the focus for fashion is on the former, yet I feel with the launch of American Love Story, there has been a bit of attention on JFK Jr’s style as well. That Connecticut meets Manhattan dress code from the 90’s. I truly think the timing is right for this collection, and it reminds me of Chloé’s revival with Chemena Kamali. People want something different, far from the typical quiet luxury right now.
Finally, It is also important to give designers a moment to launch their collections, learn from the public’s reaction, and continue to refine their vision for the brand. Unfortunately, we judge too quickly at times, whether it’s the public or the corporations behind these companies waiting for the bottom line – profits. Let’s give these designers a chance. We have yet to see Rider’s future collections, but I for one, am excited to see what he does. It is possible that he may have leaned towards the legacy of the previous designers to play it safe in his first collection or allow his collection to serve as a subtle transition. Time will tell.
PHANTOM TOTE CRAZE
Did I spend a good day reigniting my love for the Phantom bag and trying to justify a purchase. Absolutely. But I have learned from my not-so-great purchases in the past. I slept on it and decided that I wouldn’t invest in a Phantom tote (for now), because all the reasons why I have steered away from that bag until now are still there. This is a heavy, bulky bag that does not go over the shoulder. I know I’m not going to wear it. I also own the Nano Luggage bag as I’ve mentioned previously, I love and use that bag. So I will not be riding this wave.
FAVORITE PIECES
I will have a look at the new Phantom bag when it lands in stores. That Cerulan blue is gorgeous, but most interestingly I’m really drawn to the brown version, usually not my go to color.
What I might consider purchasing is that two compartment shoulder bag in croc embossed or exotic leather. We still don’t know what this bag is going to be called so a photo is all I have. I am having a shoulder bag moment, from Jil Sander’s pillow bag to The Row’s Nuance Hobo Bag… and many more that are on my mind. This bag checks all my boxes, it has a vintage feel with a bit of Parisian boho chic vibe to it, mixed with an element of Ralph Lauren, can’t quite put my finger on it. While I don’t love logos, the small triomphe logo in the middle of this bag is very reminiscent of the old Celine logo from Céline Vipiana’s era, rather than the shiny Triomphe one we are a bit tired of seeing on every bag. I have yet to see the bag in person and be the judge of the quality and craftsmanship. These are often not an issue with Celine bags, yet I do feel Philo era bags were made differently.
I’m also really drawn to the scarves. I love the color palette of many of them. They all have a more vintage feel rather than the more recently seen scarves under Slimane (logo focused) or even Philo (artsy). Though I didn’t talk a lot about the scarves, they were heavily used and relied on for styling in this collection. They truly reminded me of the scarves I often stumble on when I search for vintage Celine items on Ebay.
The styling and inspiration, there are many looks that I felt I could recreate with what I have or may just need to purchase an accessory or stack on some rings. Which is what I liked about this collection. There was a certain flow to the clothes, a vibe, a style, a layering formula that I took mental notes of.
FAVORITE LOOKS
This blog post is all about Michael Rider and his first collection at Celine and of course, my personal thoughts.
All photos are a property of Girl on The UES, unless otherwise mentioned.
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading. If this content interested you, you might want to follow my Instagram account @girlontheues
See you next time,
Girl on the Upper East Side
Xx
If this interests you, you might enjoy reading my blog post on The Row, Toteme, and Phoebe Philo.
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