The More You Mess Around, The More You Know. Phoebe Philo Edit 2, Delivery 2!

March 26, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Phoebe Philo fans, rejoice! The second delivery of the second edit is here. The idea of “continuity” is key in the designer’s eponymous venture: Philo keeps on building THE wardrobe, making her primary ideas as valid as the new ones. The fresh set of pictures – by Talia Chetrit – stun with their simplicity yet commanding allure. Looking at them, you just really desire all these dropped-waist leathers and outerwear pieces, no matter what the price for them is (disclaimer: h i g h, but after reading Philo’s silence-breaker piece by Vanessa Friedman for The New York Times, I really get it, and if I had a money tree, I would indulge and indulge in the brand’s offering without any doubt in the quality and uniqueness of these pieces). There are gorgeous trench coat iterations with attachable scarves; wrap-skirts in butter-smooth leather; very, very handsome cargo coats with huge pockets; a leg -wrapping ribbed skirt. Basically speaking, garments you buy once and wear forever. The latest delivery also offers basket cabas bags à la Old Céline and the brand’s going-gently-viral “Bean” bag covered in rough-cut, XL leather fringes; hot, retro-tinged sunglasses in cool narrow shape; and lethally chic open-toed pumps in oxblood. According to the aforementioned piece, Phoebe likes to tell her kids: “the more you mess around, the more you find out“. She actually uses the more colloquial, raw version of this saying. It seems to perfectly captures the spirit of her quite revolutionary, assertive endeavor.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Anti-Fashion. Phoebe Philo Edit 2

March 8, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Phoebe Philo‘s feverishly anticipated Edit 2 – second collection under her namesake, London-based label – is the perfect detox moment after the long, long, looooong fashion month. No gimmicks, no overstyling, no oversaturation of product, no… fashion. This is an anti-fashion line-up, one that absolutely focuses on style and gives real tools for building an intelligent wardrobe. That’s the real power of Philo’s venture, visually narrated by Talia Chetrit in a low-key, yet commanding way. Anatomy of a Fall and Zone of Interest‘s actress Sandra Hüller stars in the latest campaign, sporting the line’s turtlenecks, tailored trousers and sharp eyewear. In her notes, Philo called the actress “one of the most accomplished talents of her generation, renowned for her intimate, intelligent and fearless performances on stage and screen.” This is a collaboration that only the stars could align.

The designer characterized her brand’s latest offering – available now in her on-line shop – “from the get-go as a continuous body of work”. If you look at the store, you will notice that images from Edit 1 are still up there, mixed with the new ones. This is revolutionary: we’ve got used to the fact that brands usually wipe out their entire websites every three months for new deliveries. The latest “edit” (the brand avoids the word “collection” in its elusive communication) experiments with proportions, setting a dropped-waist leather jacket in a dark berry tone against an ultra-cropped bomber in a mastic hue. We’ve got oversized trousers, doused in “salt and pepper” colors, and upright collared shirts button tight at the neck with raised collars. Double-breasted Milanese jackets flaunt the designer’s crisp tailoring expertise. As for accessories, the popular “MUM” necklace is back. Scarves are constructed as pillows, wrapping around their wearers’ heads with an avant-garde facade; and sunglasses, including the “Peak” and “Bombé” frames, make statements with face-shielding builds. Bags are Philo’s speciality, with the Cabas, Bean Bag and Drive Bag arriving in all sorts of finishes, spanning cheetah print and plushy purple to lipstick red and strong neutrals.

Honestly, you can’t imagine a better collection to review on International Women’s Day. Women rule!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Eureka Moment. Phoebe Philo Edit 1

October 31, 2023March 8, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Once the debut see-now-buy-now Phoebe Philo collection got launched yesterday at 4 pm, it felt like an eureka moment. Even now, writing this post, I feel unbashed joy that Philo, after over five years of absence from the fashion industry (and fashion circus), finally materialized the brand that was indefinitely teased and teased and edged every single Philophile of this world. Much was already said during yesterday’s collective euphoria, and I agree 100% with Cathy Horyn’s words: it’s the kind of movement that people have been waiting for. The first drop – entitled “A1” – is a mix of uncontrived images by Talia Chetrit depicting powerful women of all ages, and a look-book that is the perfect balance of feminine and masculine notions – something Philo mastered to perfection at Céline, and seems to push to another level at her namesake brand. Phoebe isn’t a designer who is looking at references, she rather gravitates towards moods that are more visual than verbal. If “A1” is a mood, then it’s a punch of witty and very intriguing energy. The contrast of bulky leathers and fluid-like silhouettes informs a closet of a woman that doesn’t give an F about trends and “cores”. She just wants clothes that don’t categorize her as either a “minimalist” or “maximalist”. The collection, consisting also of fluffy shearling coats (modelled by Daria Werbowy, the eternal Philo muse since her Chloé days), supremely cut “Milanese” pants, hand-combed skirts and dresses, chic scarf tops, over-sized t-shirt tunics and phenomenal cargos, is like a launchpad for the designer’s further experiments and novel iterations of the modern woman. Accessories-wise, the drop offers wardrobe building blocks: absolutely timeless, XXL totes, heels and pumps with a retro feel, and some off-kilter jewellery: the now-viral “MUM” necklace and “Dahlia” brooch. Most of the collection is sold-out so far, even though the prices can come across as out-of-this-world expensive. But with Philo and her loyalty to uncompromising quality, I have an impression that they are to some extent honest comparing to other luxury brands. I’m already dying to see where Phoebe and her label are heading next. I haven’t been that thrilled with a fashion moment for a long while.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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