PARIS — There will be a little extra breathing room during Paris Fashion Week in March: Celine, one of the hottest tickets, is skipping the runway this season.
Celine designer Phoebe Philo is expecting her third child in April, and the company has decided to downscale its presentation.
“A runway show is a very demanding and personal engagement for a creative director,” said Marco Gobbetti, chief executive officer at Celine, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “The objective is to simplify.”
The precise format has yet to be fixed, but Gobbetti said he’s mulling an intimate, informal presentation, possibly in the fashion house’s showrooms.
Otherwise, it’s “business as usual” at the fast-growing firm, which is slated to open its new Madison Avenue boutique in Manhattan later this month, he said.
Gobbetti noted that Philo is still very much on the job, “designing the collection with her team.” The London-based designer is also expected to attend the presentation.
Celine plans to maintain its spot on the calendar, slated for March 4 at 1 p.m.