It wasn’t hard to figure out exactly what Phoebe Philo was getting at with her Celine Fall 2014 handbags. The bags, divided into slim envelope clutches and larger top-handle satchels, were a deliberate rumination on how handbags come together into three-dimensional objects, and especially with the satchels, Philo showed her work. The bags’ gussets were held tenuously together with big metal buttons, and because of the minimalist construction, the corners gapped open, occasionally exposing the stuffing inside.
These aren’t handbags that will be sold to a lot of women (Celine has its non-runway line for that), but they do set the tone for where the brand’s accessory ideas are headed. If it were possible for Celine to make popular bags that are even more stripped down than the Trio and Cabas Tote, then that might be what to look for. More likely, though, the heavily textured leather and calf hair from these bags, along with their weathered hardware and exposed stitches, will be showing up in Celine’s more consumer-friendly offerings. Check out the collection below.
[Images via Vogue.com]
