Out in the Parc de Saint-Cloud, guests started arriving. It’s not often you can get fashion week attendees an hour outside of Paris to a show. But then again, Celine is not just any show. Summer 2026 marks Michael Rider’s second foray into the maison. In many ways, it was just like his first round: an illustration of his understanding of the brand’s legacy.
Legacy is a funny thing at Celine. In other brands, it's thought of as an ancestral myth, a visual language to pull from that resembles hieroglyphics – remnants of a distant past. At the French house, it’s a different story. Despite being founded in 1945, its aesthetic imprint is more recognisable in the last 15 years than it was in the 50 years prior. Creative directors like Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane brought the maison to the modern fashion lexicon. Rider is acutely aware of it. His take on Celine reflects it.
Philo’s staples – her slouchy tailoring, her chicness, her scarves – are all here. Interesting draped shoulders are combined with pleated trousers, oversized shoulders on tailored jackets nipped in the waist by comparison. It’s not just Philo’s women; Slimane’s boys are peppered throughout the collection in the same measure. Tight pants and fitted leather jackets are reminiscent of the French designer.
Still, it’s not to say that Rider doesn’t consider the legacy of the maison’s founder. Celine’s DNA is decisively French. Flowy knotted white dresses paired with oversized glasses speak to it. He takes on national archetypes and twists them, adding a sense of whimsy. Still, for all its lightness, Summer 2026 felt more focused than his previous collection. If before accessories and jewellery were used to break the seriousness of an otherwise elegant offering, here, prints take on the same role. Mod daisies bloom on minis. Irregularly spaced stripes fill the sleeves on tight-knit dresses.
Rider’s American sensibilities come through in varsity polos and the airs of the Ivy League they bring in. The colour palette is equally his. Pops of red and royal blue burst in between black and camel. The designer isn’t just referencing, he’s creating the new Celine language in real time.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
