Phoebe Philo Is Actually, Finally, Back

The words “Phoebe Philo is back” have been written multiple times by journalists and Internet sleuths since she announced her long awaited return to fashion back in June of 2021, three years after stepping down as Creative Director of Céline. But today, Philo is actually back with her namesake label, which launched last night at 11:00 PM Singapore time online after an unexpected announcement last month.

And there are very few designers like Philo who can pull something like this off. Her devout fans, known as Philophiles, have not moved on from her Céline departure. There are Instagram accounts dedicated to the era, like @phoebephiloarchives or @oldceline, which notes the year Philo worked at the luxury house in its bio like one would life and death on a tombstone: ​2008-2018.

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There’s an emotional attachment women have to Philo’s Céline, one that celebrates the fantasy of fashion while still feeling grounded in reality. Her impact on the way women dress and the way they connect through clothing is similar to the foundations built by Miuccia Prada. Indeed, Philo’s clothing wasn’t just for women, it was about women. It was about uniforms, a balance of weird funky glamour, the female gaze. The uninitiated can see it best, I think, in her Spring 2013 collection with its twisted tops, fuzzy heels, and deep-v neck cuts covered in netting on breezy white dresses with raw edges and deep pockets. She made clothing that didn’t require dreaming up an alternative universe for the right occasion to wear.

Plus, she practised what she preached. When she wore a pair of Adidas Stan Smith sneakers to take her bow after the fall 2010 show, women everywhere wondered why they hadn’t thought to do the same—and then promptly turned the shoe into a mainstream phenomena. She made a $100 shoe feel like luxury, and her actual luxury garments feel like a non-negotiable necessity.

Under Philo, Céline was never sold online. And yet, Phoebe Philo is available exclusively online, which feels very in line with how she has always operated. She rarely ever did backstage interviews, always preferring the work to speak for itself. It's also why, perhaps, there's been no indication of what this label would look like or how or when (exactly) it would drop.

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If Philo's inaugural collection could talk though, it wouldn't really. The 150 pieces aren't loud but they're not at all the kind of "quiet" the younger generation is fixated on. Instead, the collection has a self assuredness that is plucky without feeling absurd. The clothes aren't the type to get you the "Oh, only you could pull that off" compliment. Instead, they'd make people stare with the intention of wanting to emulate that same kind of deeply beloved Phoebe Philo essence.

The latest iteration of this quintessence feels sexy, like a pair of zip khaki trousers with a zipper at the pleat running alongside the back of both legs. You can leave it as is or unzip slightly to make the fabric spiral around your legs like a trail of smoke or entirely to reveal the gold studded bodysuit worn underneath.

It's also just different without trying hard to be so. For example, Philo offers three different leather jackets: the first with a detachable leather scarf that drapes over the front, one covered in a fringed tassel that looks like thousands of black paint chips, and another with a dropped waist that extends the torso. They're like every leather jacket I've ever wanted but could never personally dream up. Even more daring pieces like hand-combed trousers that are covered in an embroidery with a ribbon base and look like tufted fur have an unintimidating ease to them that's distinctly Philo. They're made with a loose pyjama fit, and her model wears them with an oversized button down, as if they were just something you could just throw on with no thought at all.

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It’s an interesting time for Philo’s return because she is re-emerging into a world she has helped shape. What once felt revolutionary feels slightly less so because the current fashion landscape is so obsessed with the minimalist, hard to define delights of her Céline that her work is constantly referenced. She isn’t just on the moodboard, she is the moodboard. And this collection will be no different.

This article originally appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR US.