Celine Debuts New Beauty Line With ’60s-Inspired Winter 2024 Presentation
Audrey Hepburn, mod ’60s style, a fateful car mishap—all things that were likely on Hedi Slimane’s mood board when designing his latest pieces for Celine’s “La Collection de l’Arc de Triomphe.” The winter 2024 showcase depicts a step in a more prim direction for the designer, who has been heralding carefree chic for much of his tenure at the house. This time though, strands of pearls and coordinated sets take center stage, as Slimane and Celine introduce their newest offerings, including the house’s first beauty line.
As for the clothing, mini skirts, shift dresses, twin sets, and turtlenecks ruled. Some of the models looked like they’d been plucked right out of time while heading to lunch at La Côte Basque. Others wore styles akin to Slimane’s usual aesthetic—paillette-covered dresses and rounded monochrome furs ready to get shrugged off upon entry to Le Sept. But each model shared one thing in common: they were ready to have their photo taken by the late Richard Avedon, Slimane’s old friend and mentor, to whom the show pays tribute.
Accessories, of course, are at play as well—face-shielding sunglasses and coordinating shoulder bags are seen with almost every look. Felt caps replace the usual Celine baseball hat, still emblazoned with the Triomphe logo. According to the show notes, Céline Vipiana originally designed the house’s monogram after her car broke down at L’Etoile and she saw her chain link encircling the Arc de Triomphe. When Slimane joined the house almost half a century later, he redesigned the emblem, turning it into the calling card of every collection, including this one.
In the video presentation, models walk through iconic Parisian landmarks like La Salle Pleyel, a French musical hall originally built in 1927, and Le Musée Bourdelle’s Salle des Plâtres. The third location, La Maison de la Chimie, is of historical significance to Slimane specifically, since it marks the location of his first show in 1997 for Saint Laurent.
But this season, it is not just about the clothes, the accessories, or the landmarks, but the makeup as well. The collection marks the birth of Celine Beauté, the house’s inaugural cosmetics line. Expanding from Celine’s haute parfumerie collection, originally launched in 2019, Slimane has now designed a range of couture beauty products. The first to make its debut is “La Peau Nue” Rose Naturel lipstick, an unassuming pink worn by the models in the film. It is one of the 15 shades of “Le Rouge Celine,” which will be available in 2025. But don’t worry, because this fall, the house will launch its first satin lipstick shade, “Rouge Triomphe,” so you’ll have a product ready for all your holiday party needs.
UPDATE: On July 29, Celine followed up the beauty line’s sneak peek in the winter 2025 collection with its first ad campaign for the new endeavor. Starring American actress Ever Anderson and directed by Hedi Slimane, the 30-second video features the song “Sunshine Kid” by Grace Inspace as well as close-ups of a red-lipped Anderson and the bottles of “Le Rouge Celine” that created the resulting look.
