Attention hardcore fashion fans: Phoebe Philo’s first ever collection is [fucking finally] here. After mercilessly teasing us for the best part of three years with drop dates that came and went, the designer has finally unveiled her new offering, A1, and honestly? It’s pretty glorious.
So what does it look like? Well, at first glance, it’s a little darker, a little edgier than the stuff she turned out during her tenure at Celine, with lots of looks that play about with proportion and silhouette: a big, ravaged, feathery viscose jacket turns its model into an enormous, but extremely chic, exotic bird, while asymmetric sheaths of silk slither down the body, appearing like they’ve been hacked off at the hem.
Naturally, outerwear is a standout, with formidable-shouldered buttery leather jackets with batwing sleeves sharply cinching the waist, spindly legs wrapped in skinny leather leggings sticking out the bottom. There’s loads of slick tailoring, in the form of wide-legged trousers and sharp-shouldered, floor-length coats, plus offbeat flourishes like the far-too-long shredded pants that pool around the model’s feet [avoid puddles at all costs].
Rounding things off are casual, roomy sweaters and a slouchy pair of what look like acid-washed trackies, and even slouchier combat pants, plus loads of ‘directional’, tactile shoes, and a chunky necklace which spells out ‘MUM’. While Philo has kept characteristically quiet about inspirations and influences within the release’s accompanying press notes, the style wouldn’t look out of place in the jewellery pages of the Argos catalogue: Elizabeth Duke the pinnacle of chic now? What Phoebe says, goes [and tbh it was always chic IMO].
With prices set to give even The Row a run for their money [which is to say: they’re wild, with the aforementioned necklace racking up at $5,000] there will also be strictly limited batches of the pieces going on sale, with demand purposely set to outstrip the pieces available – as much a step towards a sustainable business model as it is a way to build hype and desirability. The first drop is online now, with the next [A2] set to land in spring. Check it out in the gallery above.