It’s been two years since, after months of speculation, Phoebe Philo announced that she was indeed working on her own brand. Her first collection has been one of the most anticipated debuts the fashion industry has ever seen, and today, her debut day is finally here.
phoebephilo.com is now open; an e-mail sent out to subscribers read this morning.
Launching via the designer’s e-commerce platform, the collection includes ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories and yes, we won’t keep you waiting any longer handbags.
Phoebe Philo’s Handbag Debut
Philo’s debut collection includes 3 handbag silhouettes in smooth leathers and suede. In true PP form, the bags feature minimal and instead stand out thanks to the quality of craft and construction. With the quiet luxury movement continuing to trend, her launch is incredibly timely.
Influences from the designer’s time at Celine are so clearly present, like a trio of pockets seen on the Gig bag, which is a semi-structured shoulder bag crafted of smooth, soft leather and tie details on the bag’s side. The price is $3,500.
Big bag lovers will want to dive into a massive open tote, dubbed the XL Cabas, which launches in both leather and suede. Secured with a dog-clip closure, like the line’s other shapes, the interior is lined in soft suede. Each leather is carefully selected with regard to its natural appearance, so slight imperfections may be preset but speak to the beauty of each leather. The price is $8,500 for leather and $8,200 for suede.
Lastly, the line sees the addition of the Small Kit Cabas, which will surely speak to the Philophiles among us. An easy, east meets west tote, the Small Kit Cabas is defined by its minimalist details like a silver-toned lock closure, which is fondly reminiscent of the Celine Trapeze Bag. Price is $4,300 in leather and $4,800 in calf hair.
Discover more below, and run. Don’t walk to phoebephilo.com, as some silhouettes have already sold out.
Discover the bags of Phoebe Philo
all images via phoebephilo.com
Disappointing! All of them a meh…
Honestly? Underwhelming. The Gig bag is the only one I find remotely interesting and it’s pretty much the Celine Trio but more hobo shaped. And the prices are insane. I think I’ve been more excited about some new Celine releases than I was for this collection.
ya. the prices are ridiculous. but also everything was sold out when i looked. so i guess people are willing to pay.
You have to wonder about the quantities produced. They may not have made that many to “sell out.” It’s a nice strategy to make the bags look desired.
I was so underwhelmed. The prices are sky high and it’s not wowing me at all. Like don’t get me wrong the pieces are not ugly but they are not making me want to run to buy
OK… first off I love how this woman had quite literally yearrssss to prep for this launch and THIS is all she came up with?! Underwhelming is not even the word. Forget the clothes bc I don’t know any moron who’s willing to shell out 3k for a turtleneck sweater. The bags were soooo basic they make The Row look trendy. I expected those price points though, and whoever didn’t in this day and age is very clearly naive (she’s not doing a collab with h&m here). There was no assortment of handbags, and if there had been something eye catching I would most likely would have spent the money – OH BUT WAIT! I couldn’t have could I?! Because apparently miss Philo only ships to Europe and the US (I live in Canada btw)! I feel like this is 1998 and I want to order something from Sephora… only this time I’m relieved I cannot bc the merch quite frankly sucks. So she’s racist and has no business sense… this is getting off to a great start Phoebe!
I get your frustration with the shipping restrictions but racist?! Words lose their meaning when they’re thrown around haphazardly.
Wake up, she’s always been racist, and now there’s like a million videos on social platforms to prove it.
I don’t have any social media so my comment was based purely on the contents of your comment. I am curious though. You say you’re relieved you didn’t like anything. Would you have bought from her if you loved a bag and she shipped to Canada?
Pinksky777 was referring to what Iman had said about Philo “being force to use Black Models” during her tenure at Celine. Just Google it if you are curious.
The action of forcing someone to hire people solely for their race is not racist?
No. It’s not. It adds to the Diversity and Representation of POC.
on the gig bag, the same old dog leash snap hardware Gucci and Rebecca Minkoff use. is there a hardware monopoly in the industry we should know about?
Agree. A couple of years ago Swiss brand Bally used mountain climbing clips for their bag hardware and on some other items. They looked cool and actually had links to the brands Swiss heritage.
Ahh! I was thinking the same thing – and the long single fringe detail too. It looked immediately like Rebecca Minkoff! I thought I was crazy. What is going on that everything looks like brands codes for RM?!
Been waiting for this for so long and feel disappointed. I would wear the small kit cabas but it is nothing special. I’d almost like the shape of the gig bag but the strap looks clunky. Price point is punchy for such an uninspired design. I would’ve paid it for Phoebe Philo but not these bags. Feels like it took the quiet luxury trend too seriously and lost any distinguishable features. The XL Cabas for $8.5k is a joke…
The Gig bag has L.V. Coussin vibes.
The bags were so underwhelming and not creative compared to what we’ve seen her done at Celine and Chloe… especially after so many delays to launch. Guess I can move on and spend my money elsewhere!
The Gig bag in Oxblood is pretty, but I can think of several others *wow* bags I could buy for that price
I knew it’d be too little too late. But not this too little lol
Agreed, the Gig bag is the only bag I like at all….I know a lot of people were very interested in this launch, meh!
The strap hardware on the Gig (Trio) bag reminds me of her Luggage bag strap.
I really like the style of the bags and the reined in collection. Very in line with what she did at Celine which is what I was expecting. Some are simply too big though. Just don’t schlep big bags anymore. A smaller version would be nice. Would choose Gig bag if the price was reduced by at least $1k. Although not loving the hardware. Apparently there are loads of people out there who continue to buy at these inflated prices and set the market. Stop! If you venture to the website she actually has an entire clothing and accessory line and really like a lot of it but out of my reach. I appreciate what she has done as it is not easy to do in the environment we have been dealing with for the last 3 years although some people on here think you can snap your fingers and viola you have a profitable business, the marketing, the investors, a designer level collection, suppliers and distribution. That takes loads of time, effort, big bucks and lots of investor reassurance. In the best of times that isn’t easy and like any business you aren’t 100% funding yourself may force you down roads you would rather not take creatively.
I like the bags and the minimalist style. The XL tote is beautiful. However, the price point is simply too high for my budget. I understand that luxury shouldn’t be affordable to the masses—obviously. But I wouldn’t even try to save the money to purchase one of these bags because for that price I would rather buy another classic that has proven its long-lasting status as a fashion staple.
It must be tough to launch an eponymous collection when Celine owns all of your iconic previous work. I agree with others here on the hardware for the Gig bag and also the tassels, which hearken to Rebecca Minkoff from the mid aughts. Bags look like quality, but the cabas is not enough to justify the price when you can pay a bit more and get Bottega. I love Philo’s aesthetic from Celine and will hang on to my old Celine bags.
I *MAYBE* got the white Gig bag.. don’t know until they confirm via email. Been wanting a white bag for a while and perhaps this is the one. But agree none of these were as exciting as I wanted them to be.
That small kit cabas bag looks damaged. Ugly.
Some bags have already been sold out on the web…
So glad I don’t like any of them
Honestly this meh release is exactly what she deserves for being a racist jerk.
A tote costs $8200… the costs of luxury bags are out of control… with $8200 I would rather buy some more ETF stocks