You thought the season was over? It can’t be, not until Phoebe Philo has her say. Today’s the day her legion of fans has waited for: the reveal of her Collection F, which in alphabetical Philo-parlance means everything she’ll be parcelling out in deliveries from the end of January through to May 2027.
A quickfire scan through her imagery gathers these first impressions. One: the reassuringly evolving continuity of the Philo wardrobe. Chest-deep sighs of relief will be heard this morning from grown women who find all kinds of enjoyable self-identification in the hard don’t-give-a-fuck women who stare out of her pictures. The slouch and the sophistication, the sheer, subtle sexiness of it all satisfies every sensible need you could dream of, while also sister-signaling that one is nevertheless wholly committed to the thrill of fashion with, yes, a capital-F.
Which brings us to impression Two: the wildly surprising outcrop of grand, almost Golden Age of Couture-ish bustles, trains, stoles, and feathery-textured things in this collection. It’s a temptation, surely, to think of Lisa Fonssagrives photographed by Irving Penn in Cristobal Balenciaga—a suggestion of throwback silhouettes draped into the device of a “padded train top.” Draped by Philo to twist and trail to the floor in the photos, this accessory to old school-slash-avant garde glamour is attached by means of an elasticated bandeau, which can be worn off the waist or on the hips. Trousers go underneath. A lived-in, washed-out boyish tank or t-shirt goes on top. In case of trip-hazards, the train may be picked up and draped over the forearm for ease.
The essence of Philo’s collection is the genius of her counterbalancing act. You get the contradiction of the fluid softness she puts into mannish shirts and cargo pants, the sharp wicked angles of her ‘Peak’ sunglasses, the way she turns a tailored jacket backwards to present an austere front and a naked back to the world, how she’ll say, yeah, go on, wear your plain painter jeans with a long silk blouse, and that’s a perfect evening look. Also: no matter how down-played you feel like being today, there’s always a single pearl earring to bring that drop of Philo class to all situations.
Or perhaps you’ll even feel like getting married? Next summer, surely there will be Philophiles considering that very thing once they see the enormous ivory ruffle-edged train whooshing from a white back-to-front knee-length tailored dress, and how she’s paired it with her supremely minimal pointy kitten heels. It’s a visual extravagance that also turns out to be done in pure Phoebe Philo style: a grand gesture, made out of humble white calico.