Phoebe Philo, Old Celine Style & Handbags/ The Intersection of Minimalism & Feminism  

Thank you for making that distinction between minimalism as an aesthetic vs what is essentially a “capsule wardrobe” which needn’t be minimalist at all. You can be a maximalist in aesthetic and have a capsule wardrobe. In fact, you can be a maximalist that strictly curates their interior so there wouldn’t be a lot of “things” in the space, but what is there would be maximalist in aesthetic. Likewise you can be a minimalist and have a ginormous wardrobe. People do have a tendency to conflate the aesthetic with very subjective numbers. People will go after a content creator who uses the term “minimalist” to describe themselves because, apparently, they have exceeded some arbitrary number of items allowed 🙄 when my criticism might be that while they do indeed prefer a very uncluttered and pared down home or wardrobe, the contents of their home or wardrobe is not minimalist. If you have a vibrant colour palette and very ornate and intricate details and pieces of furniture you can’t sit in lest it fall apart because it’s pretty …. You are not a minimalist. You’re a curator. Minimalism, as you stated (again, thank you ) is about distilling design to it’s most elemental lines and favours form following function and a subdued colour palette (again, incorrectly interpreted as “no colours allowed” which is not so, but what colour is present would be carefully considered and used with restraint) whereas maximalism is more like a joyful explosion of detail and colour and functionality is not even a requisite part of the design. It is slightly irritating that the terms have been hijacked by lifestyle guru’s. I think a lot of people who call themselves minimalists in the lifestyle philosophy space are actually ascetic or monastic and some of their aesthetic happens to overlap with or is drawn towards minimalism.

The questions you pose at the end are very interesting. She designed in the “girlboss” era where posibilities for women were for the first time truly endless and there was a big push for smart independent women to pursue large roles in male dominated industries. Lean In was a number one bestseller, Hillary Clinton was running for president, entrepreneurs like Amoruso were ideolized… I feel like this has passed and there’s much more of an emphasis on female softness, balanced lifestyle and individual identity in the media that also requires a different design. Perhaps The Row and Toteme’s softness and fluidity reflects that

This was such a thoughtful retrospective of Phoebe Philo's work at Céline! Your analysis leaves me with a deep desire to own each and every piece she created at Céline. I so agree with you, each piece could be so effortlessly be worn today. Her pieces were so modern yet so wearable. IMO she is the thinking person's designer. Even her more "classic" pieces stand the test of time. I absolutely agree with your inclusion of The Row as perhaps the best (imo) example this timeless modernism but perhaps in a slightly more effortless way? I am referring to what I perceive as The Row's ability to create minor shifts in their collections allowing collectors to wear each collections pieces interchangeably. I so appreciate the ability for The Row's pieces throughout collections to be added to what I consider a wardrobe gallery specifically dedicated to The Row. I believe that Phoebe Philo created a paradigm shift in fashion that took all lovers of art, fashion, design, etc. out of a loop. I am looking forward to a continuation of this paradigm shift and to her future artful interpretations of this timeless modernism.

Loved this video! Everything about it. I just wanted to say especially that I think your comments on whether “man repelling” fashion will continue to remain popular is an interesting one. I think when that movement first came about at the start of the 2010s, you couldn’t see a single sneaker at the fashion weeks-just pencil skirts and sky-high stilettos everywhere you went. The fashion community was very interested in looking refined and elevated (literally and metaphorically). Now we’ve had a decade of oversized dressing, comfortable dressing, experimental dressing to the point where it’s even become commercially viable to the masses. I think Gen Z as a generation has really internalized this approach to dressing. And we know that once something becomes cool with the masses, the pendulum must swing back the other way to remain exclusive, new, and different. I think now that we’ve seen Phoebe Philo’s new collection, it’s interesting to see how she’s leaned a little more back into the sexiness with the zip up pants, sheer blouses, mini skirts, body-hugging dresses while retaining the man-repelling essence of her square-toed shoes, giant faux-fur coats and pants, oversized suit suiting and overcoats, continuing with that cocoon shape, etc. It struck a balance between the two approaches to fashion. I personally would love to see more sexiness in fashion while keeping practicality in mind-sexiness without resorting to wearing a naked dress or having large parts of your underwear and/or body exposed as has been popular in the last few years. Maybe that could be a new video idea: fashion in relation to the female form and where we sit today. Thanks again for your great work!

These videos on the stylish are the best out there. Excellent choices, excellent connections to art, architecture and interiors. So impressive, thank you! ❤

I love Phoebe Philo, can't wait for her new collection

The countdown continues until this September, when Ms. Philo debuts her new collection. You offer a brilliant analysis here about the Phoebe Philo aesthetic and how she splices together silhouettes and modern art references, in her own inimitable way. Another designer I can’t stop thinking about is Helmut Lang, when he was in business designing collections at his eponymous brand😍

Love Phoebe Philo and old Celine. Interesting to see your comparison to art. The luggage bag is one of my favorites! 🤎😘

You are a very thoughtful, learned and interesting voice on fashion/lux RU-vid, refreshing and much needed! I learned a lot on this episode, thank you.

You and Cassie Thorpe are my favorite fashion content creators. It's not about selling us the next trend it's actually an education,history...personally,I love the way you speak and compare it to all forms of art because that's how I view my love for fashion my body is my canvas and I love what I love and dress to my mood,how I want to feel on that day,what I want my outfit to express. Thank you for all your research and expanding my education on these brands n designers n fashion houses!

great comments! thanks for your research and thoughts on Phoebe Philo, she uses references (art, architecture) and always a feeling of unconventionality. We tend to judge conventionally what is beautiful what is not, in a patriachical society, it would be women dressed as objects of desire. Now, maybe not, women are finally 'taken for granted' at high level jobs. Also, it is no longer necessary to repel men, this expression is somewhat anti-men, but interesting to hear it for the first time. The next thing perhaps will be more sensorial, not dressing as objects of desire or against it, but what we have ignored, such as our 4 other senses, to privilege a visual (appearance) in the history of dressing. :) just a thought, since you asked.

great video and analysis of philo's style! thank you!

Really great analysis. Well researched. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Great video. Love how you infuse art, design, and inspiration.

Love the points you made and the depth that you went into. Thank you.

Another Philo Fan here! Thanks for this video!

Love her design !! Love the clean look

Really great analysis - well done :)

Super duper interesting video and analysis! Thank you very much!

Love the comparison with art. Before watching RU-vid, I always thought of minimalist art and design over capsule wardrobes.

So strong. Thank you so much for these intelligent, thorough discussions

It’s hard to describe how firmly happy within all that’s Phoebe Philo. For me it’s more introspection than expression. A combination of aesthetic vision with a tiny touch of quirk just to remind me it’s still human. That may sound harsh, but I think people do gravitate to this assuredness & are repelled when they sense neediness. Philo seems full of this sense of self. I can’t imagine at my advanced age ever aspiring to any other approach to life! Sound weird? Probably.

Very informative information on Celine

really glad i found ur channel- like, finally someone is covering philo and the row, thank you!!!

Great Video Mary. Missing this era. If i would get pne bag from this collectiom Maybe its the Celine Box Bag or a Nano Luggage trio exotic leather. Ty for sharing 🥰

She is fashion royality ❤ For sure Only few gets there

Thank you so much for sharing darling💕

Love your content. And you're calm and smart. Keep it up.

This vídeo is pure gold 🎉

Good lord, those double trench coats will forever be iconic 😭 Phoebe is the queen of playful experimentation, all while never losing sight of function. Many of her designs deconstruct the idea of what is & fool around with the idea of what could be. She's also one of those creatives who have mastered classicism to the point where she is no longer restricted by it. Her thought process has always fascinated me. The Meiers at Jil Sander are most definitely inspired by her approach while somehow remaining on the conservative side, Lemaire too, to a certain extent. I love PP, a powerhouse & visionary 🙌🏽 Edit : the Twisted cabas gets little to no love, I think it's one of the coolest Céline bags. Also, the bit where you point out "the men repellent" aspecr of her design approach, I think she incorporated many facets of menswear into the garments she designed. That polished tomboy meets sophisticated sharp silhouette IS part of that "je ne sais quoi" that makes her collections alluring, to this day & for many years to come 😊 Marni also does some of that crazy colorblocking 🤣

Great, well thought out video - kudos!

this is brilliant

Wow, no one wears the trapeze bag anymore…I completely forgot about it…I remember it used to be so popular

Greatttttt review. Thank you

Can you do zoe kravitz bc she doesn't have the "the row" style but a lot of ther clothing iteams are from them. And also please do one with Angelina Jolie

Such a well researched video! I love the Pheobe Philo era Celine bags, they're what I think about in relation to Celine. I used to be a hardcore old celine person but I'm coming around to new celine! I am excited for her new collection, wondering what the bags will look like!

Can't wait until her new collection

Very good video !!! Bisous from Paris

I think what you're rightly pointing at and differentiating is minimalism as a lifestyle choice vs minimalism as a design aesthetic.

Not my comment being featured 🤩 mama I made it! Amazing video Mary!

Soo curious to see what she`s gonna come out with

Pheobe is to Celine what Karl is to Chanel!

would love some clothes that take breastfeeding into account hah, a girl can dream

Is it technically called "man repelling" style? Otherwise, why do we consider less sexy, traditional femme dressing "man repelling."

Didn't Phoebe Philo copy/steal someone else's design?