Different strokes: Céline and the art of kitsch

01 : 10 : 2013 Design : PFW : SS14

Paris – Phoebe Philo brought back minimalist fashion when she was appointed as creative director of Céline in 2008. In her latest catwalk show for the luxury French label, Philo has presented a loud, vibrant spring/summer 2014 collection of clothes brushed with painterly strokes and kitsch squiggles.

Céline spring summer 2014 Céline spring summer 2014
Céline spring summer 2014 Céline spring summer 2014

Coats, dresses and skirts were given the artist’s treatment, with thick, bold brushstrokes creating bright, haphazard patterns. Other items were covered in curly cartoonish lines, reminiscent of the patterns seen in our Neo-Kitsch design direction.

The use of colour and the Memphis Group’s 1980s kitsch visual heritage lent an air of optimism to the show, while the painterly, almost hand-made aesthetic is the antithesis of the digital prints that have dominated the catwalks in the past few seasons.

For more on how to use free-form, paint-inspired patterns for your brand, read our Painterly Primitive toolkit. For more on the spring/summer 2014 fashion shows, read our design direction report on New York Fashion Week.

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