It’s a clean edit of familiar silhouettes, old-school prep, and new footing for the French brand.
Michael Rider’s debut for Celine took place on a rainy afternoon in Paris at its 16 Rue Vivienne headquarters. A former Ralph Lauren designer and longtime deputy to Phoebe Philo—who led Celine from 2008 to 2017 and shaped its minimalist legacy—Rider opened with a quiet but telling detail: silk scarves as show invites. Ivory and black, printed with the logo. A huge Celine scarf also hung overhead as a canopy above the runway.
The collection picked up from there. Rider pulled from Celine’s past but kept things light. There were 72 looks composed of long coats, black dresses, rugby knits thrown over shirts, pleated trousers, curved denim, and yes, skinny jeans, now shown next to looser options. Philo’s influence was felt in the tailoring and from his Ralph Lauren days came striped ties, sweaters, and an updated Luggage bag turned weekender, with a curved zipper that read almost like a smile.
There were also smaller craft details throughout, a biker jacket with keys stitched onto the sleeve, camel coats, flowy white trousers, greens and blues in scarves and coats, and a black dress made from thousands of Celine labels.
Logos showed up too, printed across T-shirts, sweaters, and bright sneaker boots and the accessories were loud like oversized bags, heavy gold jewelry, bangles, and chunky rings. Each look is like a combination of his present influences and the brand’s signature details which, when all worn, looked put-together. And what we love about this collection is that, these aren’t just runway pieces, as his show notes says, it lives on. Technically, the collection is wearable and timeless.
Related story: Balenciaga honors a decade of Demna with free exhibit in Paris
Related story: Marc Jacobs’ latest runway collection was 19 looks in five minutes
Related story: Jacquemus’ S/S26 collection is a love letter to home
Anna Wintour sat front row, her first Celine show in years after Condé Nast was banned by Hedi Slimane. BTS’s Kim Taehyung arrived on a bicycle for his first official appearance since completing military service, later joined by fellow brand ambassador Park Bo-gum and singer Suzy Bae. Alanis Morissette, Kristen Wiig, Dev Hynes, Hannah Einbinder, Jerrod Carmichael, Jonathan Anderson, Raf Simons, and Lucie and Luke Meier were also in the crowd, rounding out a front row that mixed star power with industry weight.
Related story: Hedi Slimane out, Michael Rider in as Celine’s new artistic director
Related story: Anna Wintour steps down as Vogue editor after nearly 40 years
In his own words, “I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on,” he said on the show notes. “That becomes a part of the wearer’s life, that may capture a moment in time but also speaks to years and years of gestures and occasions and change, of the past, the present and the future, of memories, of usefulness and of fantasy — of life really.”
Celine Printemps 2026 wasn’t a reinvention, and Rider didn’t want it to be. He looked back just enough to move forward, offering a first collection that felt lived-in, precise, and fully aware of the brand he’s stepping into.
Watch the full show below:
