Foregoing the spectacle of a runway can be a double-edged sword for some designers. But for Celine’s Fall-Winter 26 collection, Michael Rider leant into an indie spirit, carrying a rebellious attitude reminiscent of his predecessor Hedi Slimane. 

Instead of a traditional celebrity-filled front row, he hosted an intimate presentation in a private showroom, and instead of having full looks move through our line of sight in a blur, he invited guests to move through the collection at their own pace. 

At first, the choice to skip a runway might have felt surprising, but it quickly became clear why it worked. Rider wanted the guest to touch the fabrics, feel the weight of a coat, and understand how each piece was built. And up close, the collection revealed itself to the viewers properly. Every fold, crease, and curve was magnified; nothing was missed. Moving through the showroom, it felt less like watching a show and more like a peek into a Celine man’s wardrobe. Into what your own wardrobe could be. 

And that wardrobe is something deliberately built for the everyday man. Rider described it as “a place to come and get dressed, for all sorts of days and nights and moments in life,” and the collection reflects exactly that. He also calls it “character over costume.” 

Every piece he decided to showcase was necessary, personal, and built to live in real life, not just for the camera or the runway. 

Rider proposes an important question: Who is the Celine rockstar off-stage? When the lights are low and the groupies are gone? Because a costume performs momentarily, but a character has to live on.

Without a runway show, each garment could be absorbed piece by piece and reassembled freely, rather than preserved as a full look. The styling and presentation suggested freedom and openness, an invitation to take what you need and make it yours. That kind of trust is rare in luxury, where control over presentation often defines the brand, and that is Rider’s confidence on full display. 

This spirit carries through to the collection’s campaign images. In the styling, the jewellery feels effortless and intentionally out of place. It’s a masterclass in layering, with necklaces and charms worn almost carelessly. Silk ties with square ends, subtle pins on jackets, and sharp-toed boots that nod to Hedi’s rocker aesthetic are styled in an understated way. The small shifts in proportion with slightly raised waists and soft creases in sleeves: this is the wardrobe of someone who commutes, works and goes out to dinner.

These are clothes that have already lived a little.

This is where the new Celine (Hedi’s) and the new new Celine (Michael’s) diverge most clearly. The previous era was about totality, a silhouette identifiable from across the street, almost like a uniform. FW26 feels more democratic. It invites you in rather than instructing from afar. Rider expands this framework, turning Celine into something less about fitting into a narrow identity and more about being a place to get dressed, for different days and different versions of yourself.

Runway styling is rarely practical and often hard to translate into real life. But from the showroom to the street, Rider’s FW2026 collection is accessible to anyone who takes pride in styling. Even if you weren’t there, the campaign images offer clear inspiration, showing outfits that could guide not just my work as a stylist but also my everyday uniform.

Rider’s approach towards unveiling this collection felt, above all, indie. There were no bright lights, no cinematic sweep: none of the concert-level drama of the Hedi Slimane years. And that absence said a lot. Because when you strip everything back, the clothes either hold up or they don’t. Here, they hold up.

So, what could have been a double-edged sword turned into a row of cleanly and precisely cut garments. Celine by Rider is not about the runway hero. It is for the riders, the commuters, the everyman. Alive, wearable, and built for today.