RUNWAY: Celine SS19

Hedi Slimane's debut at LVMH-owned Celine (sans accented-'e') is the most anticipated fashion debut this season (sorry, Riccardo!). Slimane himself is very polarizing, his stint at Saint Laurent, which he famously shortened by removing "Yves", constantly yielded much fervor on both sides - from the adorers to the critics. Nevertheless, he turned that house's fortunes around before departing and taking a break from fashion. Part of the reason why the changes at Saint Laurent were so heated is because YSL - the label and its namesake founder - are deeply beloved in France and in fashion.

Celine, on the other hand, is beloved by women who were drawn to the soft power tailoring of Slimane's predecessor, Phoebe Philo. While the changes in aesthetic and the spelling of the house name drew consternation among some. For the most part, the reaction was much more muted. As for his menswear, Slimane is starting fresh at Celine. The house has never offered a men's collection and though the aesthetic is very much in line with what one would expect from Slimane, it really is a blank slate for him and what he offered is exactly why he got this job.

For all the adjectives one could use to describe Hedi Slimane, one that would likely get universal approval is marketing genius. His collections are always commercial successes. His ability to create clothes and market them to a wide range of individuals is his greatest strength. That's why LVMH lured him away from Kering. They want to make Celine a power brand at LVMH; their aim is to make Celine a cash-cow like Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior are for the conglomerate.

He did just that with a debut that was full of attitude, high-markup leather jackets, bags, and, as the shownotes state, "couture accessories". (We forgot to mention that in addition to creating a men's atelier, Celine will also be offering haute couture in the future) The male models were the type that one expects to see: waifish, with barely an ounce of fat on them - some might say gaunt-looking. They wore various iterations of the leather jacket (tailored, double breasted, and motorcycle to name three), as well as cigarette pants, pointy booties, as well as eveningwear that offered plenty of glitz and glamour. It's not a revolutionary collection, in fact it was looked quite similar to what we've seen before at Slimane's Dior Homme and Saint Laurent. But Slimane's aesthetic is what people are after and that's what he gave men (and women - though the women's collection was vastly different than what Philo had offered and will likely rub some the wrong way).