Paris hadn’t had a cold breeze in weeks. Michael Rider’s debut menswear show for Celine catalysed it. In the air, a literal and figurative breath of fresh air. The designer’s language of uncomplicated, lived-in French poise continues to expand.
For his first official outing in the menswear space, the American designer captured what makes his tenure at the maison so refreshing: lack of pretension. There’s a tantalising ease with which Rider designs- not overcomplicated, yet not necessarily accessible either. It projects an enviable ease. Both the pieces he creates and the styling that accompanies them suggest a wardrobe of a life well cultivated – collected, borrowed, thrown together, made personal.
Colour remains one of Rider's strongest tools. Unexpected combinations feel instinctive. A bright red knit sweater tucked in a deep purple cummerbund. A bright blue shirt with a pale-yellow tie. A khaki parka covered a mint shirt and was topped with a pink satin scarf, tied around the neck. The use of pattern seemed to evolve from a similarly idiosyncratic space. A pair of bedazzled blue tiger-print jeans is adorned with crystals and mirrors. The Celine man doesn't take himself too seriously, thank god!
Rider’s design pedigree showed in Nicolas Ghesquière’s reference – both the designer’s admitted design crush and first employer in Paris. Traces of that appreciation emerge in the slightly off proportions and gentle oddness introduced into otherwise restrained silhouettes. The clothes remain close to the body, but pop subtly at the shoulder or jut out at the collar.
Accessories are displaced with intention. Gloves hang from the lapel of a camel jacket rather than covering hands, becoming accessories to the accessories themselves. These subtle acts of styling inject personality without feeling forced, suggesting garments that have been lived in rather than meticulously assembled.
At its centre is a palpable sense of joy. These are not clothes designed for a single season or a single moment, but garments destined for lifelong partnership.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
