Hedi Slimane Fuses Rock and Roll with '70s Western for Celine Hommes Fall/Winter 2024
The Celine creative director returned to his rocker roots with an electrifying cinematic presentation of the label's latest menswear line.
The cowboycore renaissance has been a bountiful source of inspiration for designers and celebrities alike, many of whom have drawn from the aesthetic and elevated it to high fashion looks, but with the release of the Celine Hommes Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Hedi Slimane has moved the needle even further. In lieu of a standard runway show presentation, Slimane opted for a visionary cinematic production inspired by Hector Berlioz's 1830 masterpiece, Symphonie Fantastique.
While the beginning of a typical show is signaled by a dimming of lights and a slow ease into a backing musical track, Slimane leaned into the drama of his old Hollywood-style film, and viewers saw a massive jukebox lowered onto a deserted California road and a hand outstretched, reaching towards the Symphonie Fantastique button.
Cinematic shots of cowboys on horses, sprawling views of the Mojave desert, and close-ups of vintage Cadillac cars interjected the runway looks. The California highway became the catwalk in this dizzying, complex film, fueled by a feverish sense that comes as no surprise to listeners familiar with Berlioz's body of work—Leonard Bernstein, masterful conductor and composer, called Symphonie Fantastique ’the first psychedelic symphony’ in the '60s, according to the house.
Models in wide-brim hats, sharply tailored suits, and heeled cowboy boots strode down the desolate drive, introducing vibrant energy and dynamism to the environment. Of course, it wouldn't be a true Slimane collection without the sense of grit and rock-and-roll-inspired edge that the designer is known for, and in this line, it is infused effortlessly into the wave of '70s Western looks.
On the one hand, leather jackets complete with striking silver hardware accompany slim-legged trousers, and on the other, sequin-laden overcoats flow in the wind atop neatly tailored white shirts and satin ribbon neck ties. Oversized fur coats and shiny patent leather jackets add to the vintage rocker aesthetic while pinstripe suiting and rich turtleneck sweaters infuse a sense of contemporary masculine elegance.
Rhinestones, sequins, and glitter were on full display in the collection, drawing visual inspiration from the hot California sun that cowboys ride under and the dazzling flash of the incessant clicks of Hollywood cameras.
Amid rumors that he was set to leave the house after six years as the head of artistic, creative, and image design, Slimane returned with a triumphant, dazzling vision of masculinity in the Celine Hommes Fall/Winter 2024 collection and offered viewers, critics, and buyers a glimpse into a new vision of what passion can look like through a drama-laden film epic.
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