Michael Rider has landed on his feet at Celine. At a house whose legacy is woven tightly with fashion lore—the cultish reign of Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane’s indie sleaze extravaganza—the pressure was on for the designer to fill the shoes of his megawatt predecessors.
There were plenty of moments during the Celine Spring 2026 show that nodded to the ever-evolving codes of the house. The first exit, for example, sported the skinny jean era that Slimane ushered in. Then there was Philo—Rider worked alongside during her peak years at the French house—who he paid homage to through printed silk scarves, oversized shoulders, and ankle-grazing overcoats. Some of his Ralph Lauren-isms pulled through, too, in the form of an oversized rugby shirt, collared button downs layered underneath crew-neck sweatshirts, and bright, preppy colours like crimson red, cerulean, and emerald green.
Celine
Celine
These hues were interspersed amongst rich blacks, camels, olive greens and ivory. Beautiful coats sat over beautiful pants and beautiful shirts, the layering creating a sense of dimension that felt interesting beyond their obvious wearability. We are living through a moment in fashion where wearability is taking precedence over risk, and for Rider’s debut collection, coupled with his oeuvre as a designer, this was evident in his first show for the house—and that’s no bad thing.
“I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on, 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,” Rider wrote in his show notes. The sentiment is one that echoes the sensibilities of Celine as a brand, especially during Philo’s tenure. One only needs to spend a moment with a Philophile to understand her impact on clothes with endurance as a designer. Back to Rider, though— this is his time now, after all.
Celine
Celine
The certainty of the collection was exciting. Rider’s approach came with a steady hand. With classics that will endure, underscored by tricky styling moments to keep ears pricked, like the slashed neckties and layered belts that dangled with charms as they lifted off hips when the models descended upon the runway. There was a sense of Americana, Upper East Side polish (thanks, in part, to the silk Celine scarves) spliced with a loose, French coolness that has always hummed around the brand. We saw this through zipped-up biker jackets paired with wool scarves wound around the neck, classic blue denim jeans, and sleek black evening gowns worn with dark sunglasses.
Celine
Celine
Evening looks were sequined, dark, and subtle. Nothing was overly flashy, save for one beaded woven dress, which was pared back with patent leather mary janes. These lent themselves well to the overall feel of the collection, as did the rest of the footwear, which was decidedly demure with Rider’s take on leather lace-up boxing shoes with the brand motif printed down the tongue, dainty leather plimsoles, simple patent pumps, and classic ankle boots, some with an interesting design cut-out of different patchworked leathers or horsebit details on the toes.
Rider’s Celine is one that clearly appreciates craft. There is a commitment here not only to wearability, but to timelessness, and holding onto the ideas that are synonymous with its meaning. As he settles into his seat at the house, it will be exciting to see how these sentiments continue to manifest.
Celine
Celine
