Theater critic Hilton Als attended designer Michael Rider's debut spring 2027 menswear show for Celine in Paris this weekend. Als shared his thoughts on the collection and front-row experience in an exclusive recap.
The event drew celebrities including Grace Jones, BTS’s Kim Taehyung and Oscar Isaac. Als described the tents as airy and the clothes as mirroring ease and gracefulness.
Als praised Rider’s use of fabric and highlighted Arabian Knights pants and capes as objects of transport that took viewers to another dimension. He compared fashion to theater, noting both belong to what the French call le spectacle.
The critic also commented on his own brown twill trousers and Grace Jones’s suit, calling each a spectacle in fineness of cloth. Als said his outfit made him feel wrapped in love and expressed his draw to simplicity and elegance.
