Celine’s Got a New Groove

This afternoon, a giant printed foulard hung over the atrium of Celine’s Paris headquarters. Beneath it were seats arranged in the shape of the label’s iconic Triomphe logo, and in adjoining rooms, winding hallways were where models walked in Michael Rider’s first collection for the French fashion house. Many guests in the atrium clutched colorful umbrellas, the foulard likely not sturdy enough to keep everyone totally dry from the summer showers. Despite the wet weather, today’s show was a celebratory homecoming for Rider, who, after working with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, spent a decade working at Celine as design director under Phoebe Philo.

From the moment the first look appeared (men’s and women’s Spring 2026 were presented together), it became clear that Rider had mined pieces of his personal design trajectory. The long tailored jackets with strong shoulders, balloon-cut pants worn tucked into boots, and touches of light ruffles and skinny jeans were reminiscent of his time with Ghesquière. You could sense Philo-isms in the bold color-blocking and asymmetric blouses, ties, and bomber jacketz. But make no mistake–everything Rider showed this morning felt coherently and wholly his own, a new vernacular for Celine that, post-Hedi Slimane, melted away the strict slickness, even if some skinny jeans remained.

There were notes of Americana in this collection, perhaps gleaned from Rider’s last big gig heading design for Polo Ralph Lauren (he is also a Washington D.C. native and a graduate of Brown). Parisian effortlessness–scarves tied cooly around the neck, pleat-front denim worn with statement belts and little lace-up booties–was mashed up with prep by way of button-downs and crewneck sweaters worn with cropped wide-leg pants and tan blazers, the collars worn one in and on out, the blazer sleeves bunched on one arm to reveal a heap of bangles.

Rider showed little argyle sweaters with skinny trousers and gold belts, oversized rugby shirts, and ties with blunt edges. But beyond the nods to American sportswear and French sensibilities, the designer injected a fresh approach to Celine’s eveningwear offerings. There was a beautiful black crochet gown next to a couple of lovely little black cocktail dresses and one strapless sequined maxi dress worn with an ultra-cropped tuxedo jacket. Accessories stood out too, like a three-pocket shoulder bag and a bright blue luggage tote with a smile-shaped zip at the front.

Rider’s entire lineup was about breadth and, as he noted backstage, about beginning to lay a foundation for a new era of Celine. He spoke about the importance of not erasing what came before and using those codes to build something entirely new. In his collection notes, Rider wrote, “Celine stands for quality, for timelessness and style, ideals that are difficult to catch, and even harder to hold on to, to define, despite more and more talk about them out there.” Indeed, these days, too many people talk too much about taste and style. Designers speak often and at length about dressing people for their real life, for ease and a fulfillment of some hypothetical sense of personal style. Even more people on the internet talk ad nauseam about who or what looks good. But what Rider captured in this collection is the real deal–inspiration to talk less and wear more, to find bliss in, say, the act of throwing on a peaked shoulder jacket or a big pair of pants, and top it all off with a totally weird belt and a pair of perfect sunglasses. Attitude is a tangible commodity when it comes to clothes, and Rider had plenty here. There wasn’t anything straightforward about this first collection for Rider, but what he made simple was the idea that great style can’t be articulated; it is inherent, to be found in each person’s groove.