Celine men’s is having a moment. Michael Rider has entered the sweet zone where he has the industry’s undivided attention. Hedi Slimane is in the rearview mirror here and Rider’s super unconventional work-intensive approach is taking the spotlight. Every collection, every look, every individual garment is the process of a long deliberation in the design studio. He calls it a fashion jam session, which brings together classic men’s wear staples like pink cummerbunds on simple pleated pants and sweater combinations, outlandishly sculpted headgear straight out of stoner hippie camp, or a hyper-shrunken pea coat that works like a shirt. Just a few examples of how everything is touched, styled, draped, tucked in and out, tied around the neck and arm or waist and so on. You pretty much see all that is possible with a garment here, especially sweaters. 

Anchored by a silhouette of flat shoes, high-sitting pleated pants and oversize blazers, the collection does not shy away from adding deceptive bead curtains in front of faces and crotches. Is it whacky? Not really. But are there rules? Not either. And while it felt very French in the beginning, now it’s refreshingly open at Celine. Rider follows his gut, and you can see his mind is in Henri Cartier-Bresson mode, snapping images with his eyes all day long while moving around and seeing people that have a sense of dress he likes. It’s hyper-individualized fashion coming from a look-obsessed fashion designer.

The tailoring?

Rider has found his look. It is a boyfriend jacket on a boyfriend, mostly double-breasted but worn open for panache.

The pants?

Rider has established full pleated pants as a signature, but with this show he added flaring harem pants, even bell bottoms, but then also more Celine familiar cigarette pants. Nothing really felt like it belonged to a specific youth culture moment, but more from Rider’s imagination. 

What also happened?

Speaking of a moment. In our humble opinion, the greatest living contemporary artist is Wolfgang Tillmans. Seeing him backstage snapping portraits of Rider – for an editorial or Celine assignment? – speaks volumes about how much this Celine is Zeitgeist.