Phoebe Philo - Designer

[Frederic01]

She's really in her "anti-fashion" era isn't she? It's obviously a deliberate choice to have everything surrounding the collections so devoid of flair, but I hope that in time, she will start to add some personal touches to things like the website, and the packaging, the store design, and everything else.

The whole grey-corporate-office vibe that she currently has going on (even her in interviews) is quite at odds with the concept of the clothes, but instead of coming off as interesting, it just comes off as very emotionless and dare I say bordering on cheap?

I hope the future re-iterations will look more interesting than this!

 

[Nimsay]

i think phoebe is very meta and the corporate vibe reflects her clients who work at FAANG, Finance or Lawyering. The Phoebe lady is a career mum. With some fun peppered in for when they pop off to grand cayman for a weekend.


Also this is fashion…. Those shoes couldnt be more different. The Wangs are monstrous. PPs are great but i worry about collecting dirt. cleavage heels are a louboutin code i think

 

[gallianostan]

PP at BG

absolutely mortifying. i'd hang my head in shame if my bergdorf's pop up looked like that. it's worse than sabato's new gucci interiors

 

[Kanzai]

The only thing I like about Phoebe's brand is that they sell everything they advertise, without dividing into " runway pieces " and merchandises. You can literally purchase anything you see on IG as long as it's not sold out.

 

[donyan]

Yeah that is not well merchandized at all.

I agree. Why the round red plinths? It makes me think of something hastily assembled, not carefully curated. Also, considering what a scoop this is the space looks very small. The outside is almost embarrassingly visible, and then all you find inside is this little sideline space ?

 

[FiLReD]

absolutely mortifying. i'd hang my head in shame if my bergdorf's pop up looked like that. it's worse than sabato's new gucci interiors

The H&M Studio Pop-up store in Berlin looks way more expensive.


fashionnetwork.com

 

[Kanzai]

Altuzzara, Proenza, The Row 1-0 Phoebe Philo

 

[deango]

 

[Lola701]

I like the POV. It’s very straight to the point!
It’s very coherent to what she expressed in her Nytimes piece.
It’s product oriented and there’s nothing more than a product.

As I said, people are somehow entitled to luxury and since fashion has become luxury in the 21st century, we like to link everything to luxury.
Buying expensive clothes is a luxury (to some buying clothes is a luxury anyway) but do I need to live an experience everytime I’m walking into a shop? No!
Some of you are comparing then again an installation from a start-up fashion brand to shops from luxury, historically leather goods houses.
And tbh, I like the non-fussy approach.
I think this put her clothes in a different context to what her work looked like in Celine spaces.

And tbh, when I think about her first redesigned Céline store, I don’t think people were ready to buy expensive clothes in an unfinished store anyway.

I think it’s great!

 

[Thefrenchy]

It looks very grim and stale. Quite surprising considering how well she used to curate spaces.

While not everything has to be an installation, market research do show that customers do expect / get excited (i.e it's a purchase incentive) about a bit of brand experience. Which here seems close to none. Keep in mind that not all luxury clients intellectualise their approach to fashion the way people do here, their attention needs to be caught. And not all PP clients are what you would expect them to be, just check those PP unboxing videos on social media.....................

They'll get traffic because it's the first time she'll have a physical space and the clientele is there (+ BG VICs etc). But I'd be curious to know if it'll bring anyone in who is not familiar with the brand in the first place. That's when it gets interesting....

 

[yslforever]

Yeah that is not well merchandized at all.

It's not the level of experience alike entering a The Row townhouse ... The Row has thought a full universe (art, playlist, furniture and decor, locations) than Phoebe Philo has not re-created yet.

 

[Kanzai]

I like the POV. It’s very straight to the point!
It’s very coherent to what she expressed in her Nytimes piece.
It’s product oriented and there’s nothing more than a product.

As I said, people are somehow entitled to luxury and since fashion has become luxury in the 21st century, we like to link everything to luxury.
Buying expensive clothes is a luxury (to some buying clothes is a luxury anyway) but do I need to live an experience everytime I’m walking into a shop? No!
Some of you are comparing then again an installation from a start-up fashion brand to shops from luxury, historically leather goods houses.
And tbh, I like the non-fussy approach.
I think this put her clothes in a different context to what her work looked like in Celine spaces.

And tbh, when I think about her first redesigned Céline store, I don’t think people were ready to buy expensive clothes in an unfinished store anyway.

I think it’s great!

Agree with you as always !!! While the price is bloody high, i think Philo's products are very accessible in store, as long as you have enough money to pay for ofc. Unpretentious approach, i respect that.

 

[PDFSD]

The H&M Studio Pop-up store in Berlin looks way more expensive.

View attachment 1260581View attachment 1260582
fashionnetwork.com

yes in 2001 maybe ...even if the PH one does not go for looking expensive as her first celine store´s she had same DIY style to contrast the sharpness/design of the clothes

 

[PDFSD]

Retail Architecture Photographer Paris

Retail Architecture Photographer Paris boutique Celine

www.kristenpelou.com

 

[tatouejeremie]

i don't mind the simple approach but the whole space just doesn't look very considered.
the rails look store bought and why is that one table at such an odd diagonal angle.

 

[Lola701]

Agree with you as always !!! While the price is bloody high, i think Philo's products are very accessible in store, as long as you have enough money to pay for ofc. Unpretentious approach, i respect that.

You know, in fashion over the last 20 years, if I’m not mistaking, we had 3 designers who after leaving a high power position at a big brand, started their own operation: Tom Ford, Stefano Pilati and now, Phoebe Philo.

Tom obviously left with a lot of stock-options money, even sold Art pieces to fund his operation. Colette had the exclusivity of his menswear when it started. There was a lush imagery, the insane high prices and ridiculous pieces (outrageous alligators and furs) and for what at that time felt ridiculous: 3 pieces suits with a very 70’s allure.
Obviously, at Colette, the opulent nature of his work wasn’t as obvious as it was when entering the Madison Avenue store. And tbh, the Madison Avenue store was a bit intimidating…

With Stefano Pilati, we are still not sure of what RI is about. It’s very Random indeed as beyond the price point attached to the Hf figure, nothing about it is indicative of anything.

I think Phoebe is totally intelligent in focusing on the product, like Tom did.

We have Jacquemus right now, who has built a brand on mood, feel and whose universe is a reflection of his IG thread. But once we got to concentrate on the product, it’s quite lackluster. But tbh, I went to the Avenue Montaigne space and it’s really a great universe, totally social media friendly and in a way you might buy a sweater just to pose in the store.

We have to opportunity to see how Phoebe will build her brand. I think the first few seasons will be about reclaiming her work as a designer before going back to be a creative director.

 

[Kanzai]

^ Off topic: I really want to see a strong comeback of Pilati, he's probably the last great ITALIAN designer. Hopefully he'll take over a big house till the end of his career, him at Giorgio Armani / Armani Privé would be perfect ( all the diffusion lines can disappear imo ).

 

[Lola701]

^ Off topic: I really want to see a strong comeback of Pilati, he's probably the last great ITALIAN designer. Hopefully he'll take over a big house till the end of his career, him at Giorgio Armani / Armani Privé would be perfect ( all the diffusion lines can disappear imo ).

What he did at Zegna/Agnona was the ultimate proof for me of his capacity to lead a brand like Armani. And I think the sportswear approach of RI can be quite in the spirit of Emporio Armani.
And what is fantastic about Armani is that despite the somehow quite dated allure of his clothes, the creative vision is still timeless and modern. And for a lifestyle brand, it’s crucial (and it’s the reason why the brand continues to grow while being totally detached from the HF conversation).

But Stefano’s ego can be his own enemy. It can be obnoxious…
He needs to infuse the kind of fun he has in his life, in his designs. He forced himself to be a bit frivolous in the early days at YSL. And then when he was in full control, he designed cold clothes while trying to be intellectual.

And to tie it back to Phoebe, the reason I think she is successful is because she allows herself to be frivolous. In her way, her clothes are more playful than the names people likes to attach her with. There’s little to no fun at The Row, Peter Do, Jil Sander and everything.
When I look at clothes on racks, I want to smile or be surprised by a detail. Looking chic or rich is the last of my concern.

 

[PDFSD]

i don't mind the simple approach but the whole space just doesn't look very considered.
the rails look store bought and why is that one table at such an odd diagonal angle.

The first celine stores she did had rails made from scaffolding metal pipes any one could buy part at a hardware store lol so this is a step up :-)
this undone raw or unpretty almost environment was always apart of her celine show staging and stores, odd diagonal benches etc included

I think the most atypical Celine store design that went away form this undone style was the last store she did in all light blue stone in Miami by Valerio Olgiati

https://www.archdaily.com/901267/celine-flagship-store-valerio-olgiati

The more i see the PH pop up store the more i like it to be honest the shityness of it reminds me of her early celine days and how cheeky that was and also has roots for me in margiela undone sh*tty store design vibes, back to a time for certain brands you did not expect or needed a luxury store design to motivate you to buy the clothes etc because you bought into the ideas of the clothes and not luxury or trend

 

[Nimsay]

Again I think Feebz knows her client. After a day of fiddling with your Okta or Keycard Access the last thing you want is another media blitz like walking in and having screens on the floor. You want low fidelity shopping. Nothing to jump at you or grab or demand your attention. You were just at work getting 20 Teams messages a minute. The last thing you want is more stimuli. Just items on a rack for you to peruse. Kinda revolutionary considering even the nothing labels like Carolina Herrera have multiple video walls in their boutiques.

I think that not having a fragrance is probably their biggest biggest oversight. I remember TF launched RTW at Bergdorfs with his now famous Private Blend frags as well. This was back when $200 for a perfume was wow pricing. Now everyone has a $200 option and the new wow price is $500.