5 Things We Loved About The Celine Spring 2026 Collection

Michael Rider has finally made his debut at Celine - one of the first in many to come in the later months of this year in this period of upheaval in fashion. Cleverly slotted in between the men's and couture shows, it ensured that all attention was trained on the French maison, which showed its Spring 2026 collection in its Rue Vivienne headquarters in Paris.

But here's a quick recap: while the American designer has a much more low-key profile than Hedi Slimane, his immediate predecessor at Celine, Rider is intimately acquainted with the house; after all, he served as Celine's design director for 10 years during Phoebe Philo's halo-ed era, before decamping to head up Polo Ralph Lauren from 2018 - 2024.

It might explain his 72-look collection which will likely hit stores the last quarter of the year; there was an unmistakable sportswear sensibility running through the collection - no surprise given Rider’s roots in the States and his six-year tenure at Polo Ralph Lauren - but it was filtered through a Parisian lens, and more specifically, a knowing play on cliches (more on that later).

Ahead, some of our favourite bits from the collection:

THE CELINE LUGGAGE BAG IS SO BACK

No official word yet from the brand, but this sexy number looks like an update of Celine’s wildly popular Luggage, which first debuted in 2010 during the Philo era. (Much like how iconic bags from the ’90s and 2000s have been making a comeback, it was only a matter of time before attention turned to their 2010s counterparts.)

The 2025 Luggage now has more of an East-West style compared to the square-ish silhouette of the original, and some of the models shown at the latest show sported a curved-shaped zip — most likely a nod to how the 2010s versions were nicknamed the “smiley-face” bags.

HE MAKES SOME KILLER MENSWEAR

There was a retro American sportswear-meets-French street urchin sensibility to Rider's collection that felt playful and fun. And his time at Polo Ralph Lauren - where Mr Lauren reportedly taught him to keep it real - clearly has left a mark. "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," says Rider in the collection's show notes.

THERE'S PLENTY OF PICKINGS FOR THE PHILO-PHILES

Phoebe Philo was fond of pushing a big-shoulder and narrow waist silhouette, especially in her later years at Celine, and there were clear echoes of that in this collection. It makes sense; after all, Rider was Philo's right hand man during her tenure at Celine - and it seems more than likely he had a major hand in the many hits created during that time.

DITTO FOR THE SLIMANE DISCIPLES

Hedi Slimane helped grow Celine into an estimated US$3 billion behemoth with his sleek staples and Rider seems to be one for paying homage to his predecessors, rather than wiping the slate clean - cue the signature Slimane skinny legs (some of the men's pants were slim to the point of coming across as leggings).

THE NEW NEW CELINE IS NOT SO SERIOUS

While Rider has remained respectful of his predecessors' work at Celine, he's also inserted a more cheeky undertone to the house - a quality arguably not so common in both Philo or Slimane's tenures. Cue the exaggeratedly huge takes on Celine's classic logos, or playful accessories like heavily charmed-out costume jewellery and mega belt buckles.

“ A sense of levity and humour is sorely missed in fashion. I would never want to be perceived as ironic or cynical, but having a sense of humour in the space of luxury is a beautiful thing," says Rider in an interview with Vogue Business. We look forward to his next collection!