PHOTO COURTESY OF CELINE
For the recent Comité Colbert Hidden Treasures exhibition at The Shed in Hudson Yards, New York, Celine reached into its archives and pulled out a scarf. Not a bag, or garment, nor shoe. But a scarf. The choice felt deliberate and, for anyone paying attention to Celine, entirely unsurprising. After al, few fashion houses share such a special relationship with the foulard.
The story begins with Céline Vipiana, who founded the maison in 1945. Since she built it around the elegant codes of the Parisian woman, silk scarves eventually became an essential part of its brand identity. By the mid-60s, they were already appearing in campaigns that would later assimilate with the house’s stylistic shorthand. A scarf does more than complete a look. Rather, it animates it, giving the wearer agency over how they choose to present themselves on any given day.
That same idea continues under Michael Rider. For his debut collection as artistic director, invitations arrived wrapped in squares of ivory silk. During the show, an oversized foulard canopy floated above the courtyard of Celine’s historic Rue Vivienne headquarters. By his second collection, the silk square had moved beyond its traditional role, appearing as coat linings and decorative handbag accents.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CELINE
Rider also continues to play with contrasts, prints and colour-blocked panels, keeping scarves deliberately layered and graphic. The current silk twill collection spans an almost endless spectrum of colours. Think sky blue with navy and grey, or burgundy against blue, for example. Turquoise with black and teal with yellow enter the conversation too. Triomphe motifs, logos, maps and chain prints further expand fall-winter 2026 offerings.
Now, more than ever, scarves sit at the centre of Celine’s styling narrative. Whether worn around the neck or draped over handbag handles, the silk twill remains a perennial staple of the French maison. And under the artistic direction of Michael Rider, it is clearly not going anywhere anytime soon.
