Style Briefing - Phoebe Philo The Scent

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The sun has risen, you creak the bedroom windows open and let the linen curtains blow in the morning breeze. As you head down

OLYMPIA JCREW

WOMEN WHO WIN

There aren’t many fashion-label launches that insiders wait with bated breath for, but Phoebe Philo’s eponymous brand was one of them. Such is the power of Philo — a designer who redefined the modern woman’s aspiring wardrobe during her tenures at two iconic French houses: Chloé (2001-2006) and Celine (2008-2017). Then, in 2021, with a dedicated cult following of ‘Philophiles’ behind her, she announced the launch of her self-titled label — a rare move in an increasingly cautious climate. The financial backing of Philo’s former employer, LVMH, enabled the creative director’s direct-to-consumer site to land with impressive aplomb in 2023; Philophiles snapped up the majority of the collection within 24 hours. Now, more than a year later, Phoebe Philo is continuing her upward trajectory, with collections stocked in several bricks-and-mortar stores, including Dover Street Market in London and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

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‘Such is the power of Philo — a designer who redefined the modern woman’s aspiring wardrobe’

With a knack for creating season-less, minimalist, expertly crafted pieces that the modern woman actually wants to wear, one could argue that Philo pioneered the ‘quiet luxury’ movement before the term had even been coined. At Chloé and Celine, she stripped the collections of stuffiness, choosing instead to design commercial pieces imbued with a cool-girl twist. Her accessories, in particular (think the ‘Paddingon’ bag for Chloé and ‘Luggage’ tote for Celine), have long been lauded by the fashion set. And now her own label is serving up a highly wearable, elegant aesthetic that offers the perfect balance of edge and glamour.

Philo launched her first collection in a series of drops that arrived without fanfare or catwalk shows (because who needs marketing when you’ve already got a committed fan base?). Encapsulating everything we have grown to love about the designer’s aesthetic, the edit fuses high-octane glamour with a touch of athleisure, presenting the perfect mix of casual and feminine, with Philo’s signature playful nod. There are chunky knits, high heels, trousers with statement leg-lengthening zips, slouchy silhouettes, tailored hero pieces and, of course, square-toe shoes. While there are some winter and party pieces to lust after (a black wool coat; a red-sequin dress), the collection is impressively season-less, meaning you can easily mix and match outfits no matter the weather. We particularly love the relaxed tuxedo shirt, structured flared trousers and asymmetrical silk mini dress that can be worn over relaxed jeans during the day and black tights in the evening; Philo instinctively knows what a woman wants to wear in all scenarios. Accessories-wise, we’d be remiss not to mention the ‘Mum’ necklace — an instant sellout in both gold and silver, which you can set up an alert for, should there be a restock at any point (here’s hoping). As for bags, the ‘Kit Cabas’ and ‘Gig’ are both icons in the making. Philo recently teased her second collection, too, with some pieces available to shop in early 2025, and more to follow in spring. But get ready to add to basket at speed: the second drop is of the same ilk, with a touch more glamour.

Phoebe Philo

The cult label on everyone’s lips

Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy and it still hurts to think of the now-sold-out Phoebe Philo ‘Mum’ necklace. Crafted in 24-karat-gold-plated sterling silver or sterling silver, it effortlessly recreated the success of Philo’s bamboo-effect initial pendant for Celine, selling out within 24 hours of the site going live. With an alternating ‘M’ and ‘U’ design, it delivers Philo’s typical tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. Plus, weighted to sit flat against the base of the neck, it instantly elevates a basic T-shirt or silk dress.

With a relatively small collection compared to most designer labels, choosing a few pieces to shop from Phoebe Philo’s new drop should be easy — except there’s not a single item that wouldn’t work in your existing wardrobe. That said, we’re always up for a sartorial challenge. So, here’s our lust-worthy edit of investment pieces, including the perfect coat, evening look, office shirt and accessories.

£11,000

SCARF TRENCH COAT

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£5,800

Cabas Bag

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£855

Flare Trousers

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£900

Soft Pump 90

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£950

Tuxedo Shirt

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£1600

Asymmetric Dress

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‘Encapsulating everything we have grown to love about the designer’s aesthetic, the edit fuses high-octane glamour with a touch of athleisure’

There aren’t many labels that fashion insiders would be awaiting with bated breath to launch, but Phoebe Philo’s eponymous brand was one of them. Of course, such is the power of Philo. It is a truth universally acknowledged that she redefined the modern woman’s aspiring wardrobe during her tenures at two iconic French houses: Chloé (2001 to 2006) and Céline (2008 to 2017). So much so that she has garnered a cult following of ‘Philophiles’. She announced her desire to launch her self-titled label in 2001, a bold and rare move in a climate where few designers are brave enough to do so. After much anticipation, the direct-to-consumer site finally launched in October 2023, with the backing of the Creative Director’s former employer, LVMH. The Philophiles were ready. Most of the collection sold out within the first 24 hours. A year later, Phoebe Philo is going from strength to strength, and is now stocked in several bricks-and-mortar stores, including Dover Street Market in London and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

‘...Such is THE POWER of philo. It is a truth universally acknowledged that she REDEFINED the modern woman’s aspiring wardrobe’

One could argue that Philo pioneered the ‘quiet luxury’ movement before the term was even coined. The Creative Director quite simply has a knack for creating seasonless, minimalist and expertly crafted pieces that the modern woman actually wants to wear (as opposed to the more red carpet-y designs that often grace the catwalk). At Chloé or Céline, she got rid of any stuffiness, replacing it with commercial pieces with a cool-girl twist that would go on to be copied many times over, especially when it came to accessories (the Paddingon and Luggage Tote spring to mind, and the Mum necklace from her own collection). She has taken this ethos into her own label, serving up highly wearable and elegant pieces with just a little bit of an edge and a little bit of glamour.

The designer launched her first collection in several drops throughout the past year, without fanfare or catwalk shows, in several drops throughout the past year (who needs marketing when you’ve got a fan base?). It encapsulates everything we love about the designer’s aesthetic, which infuses high-octane glamour with a touch of athleisure. A perfect mix of casual and feminine, with a cheeky nod. There are chunky knits, high heels, trousers with zips all down the back, slouchy silhouettes, tailored pieces and of course, square toe shoes. While there are some winter and party pieces (a black wool coat, a red sequin dress), the collection is impressively seasonless, meaning you can easily mix and match outfits no matter the weather. We particularly love the relaxed tuxedo shirt, structured flared trousers and asymmetrical silk mini dress that can be worn over relaxed jeans during the day and black tights in the evening. There is no one like Philo to think of what a woman wants to wear in all scenarios. Accessories-wise, we’d be remiss not to mention the Mum necklace, an instant sell-out in both gold and silver, which you can set up an alert for, should there be a restock at any point (here’s hoping). As for bags, the Kit, Cabas and Gig are all icons in the making. She recently teased her second collection, with some pieces available to shop in early 2025, and more to drop in the Spring, so get ready to pounce. From what we can see, the second drop is of the same ilk, with perhaps a touch more glamour.

Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy, and it still hurts when we think of the Mum necklace. Available in 24-karat gold-plated sterling silver or sterling silver, it has effortlessly recreated the success of Phoebe’s bamboo-effect initial pendant for Céline. So much so that it sold out within 24 hours of the site going live. Typically tongue-in-cheek, the necklace has an alternating ‘M’ and ‘U’ design and is weighted to sit flat against the base of the neck.The perfect addition to a basic t-shirt or silk dress.

the DESIGNER

THE ICONS

THE MARIE CLAIRE EDIT

Philo is a creative director who’s committed to creating responsible fashion. Not only do her season-less designs not bow to trends, each piece is made in limited quantities to avoid overconsumption, too, with any waste materials donated to fashion institutions. Use of plastic is kept to a minimum and packaging is re-used where possible. The designer also works with a small number of suppliers across Europe, chosen for their craftsmanship and transparency. In terms of materials, no exotic skins or feathers are used. Instead, Philo looks to certified wool, cotton and viscose suppliers, and is working towards improving the traceability of her leather supply chain back, too, to ensure high standards of animal welfare.

THE IMPACT

The Philophile gang naturally extends to celebrities — fans of Philo’s designs who followed her tenures at Celine and Chloé. It’s no surprise, then, that Kendall Jenner, Chloë Sevigny and Hailey Bieber are among the cool-crowd shoppers who snapped up items from Phoebe Philo’s debut collection.

Philo fan club

BRAND

With her namesake label, Phoebe Philo is committed to responsible fashion, not just through her seasonless designs which don’t bow to trends. Her high quality designs are made in limited quantities to avoid overconsumption, and any waste materials are donated to fashion institutions. Use of plastic is kept to a minimum and packaging is re-used where possible. The designer works with a small number of suppliers across Europe, chosen for their craftsmanship and transparency. In terms of materials, no exotic skins or feathers are used, and she is moving to switching key fibres to certified options including wool, cotton and viscose, and is constantly working towards improving the traceability of her leather supply chain back to farm level to ensure high standards of animal welfare.

IMPACT

The Philophile gang naturally extends to celebrities, who have worn Philo’s designs from the ‘Old Céline’ and Chloé. So it’s no surprise that many cool girls snapped up her first collection, with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Chloe Sevigny and Hailey Bieber being some of the lucky shoppers fast enough to nab an item.

PHOELOPHILES

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£1600

Asymmetric Dress

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‘The collection ENCAPSULATES EVERYTHING we love about

‘...Such is THE POWER of philo. It is a truth

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jumper, £2,200 Phoebe Philo

shirt, £950, Phoebe Philo

ALL AVAILABLE AT phoebephilo.com

robe, £2,900, Phoebe Philo

bag, £2,600, Phoebe Philo

earrings, £600, Phoebe Philo

scarf, £500, Phoebe Philo

trousers, £1,500, Phoebe Philo

hat, £600, Phoebe Philo

Blanket, £1,700, Phoebe Philo

necklace, £3,200, Phoebe Philo

ALL AVAILABLE AT phoebephilo.com

STYLE BRIEFING

STYLE NOTES

T-SHIRT DRESS, £1,100, Phoebe Philo

Kendall Jenner

Linda Evangelista

Binx Walton

Kendall Jenner

Hailey Bieber

Kendall Jenner

necklace, £3,200, Phoebe Philo

COAT £3,800, Phoebe Philo

the COLLECTION

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TOP, £1,400, Phoebe Philo

Words: PENNY GOLDSTONE imagery: Phoebe Philo DESIGN: ANA OSPINA