Fashion’s obsession with youth more bankable than ever

New York - One of the pushbacks against Hedi Slimane’s Celine debut seems to be that he has effectively replaced Phoebe Philo’s grown-up, self-assured, sophisticated woman with her teenage daughter. A gawky, rebellious waif straight from central casting who stays out all night in barely-there clothing is the French house’s new message. But of a collection which the designer had entitled “Journal Nocturne de la Jeunesse Parisienne,” what did we expect? Nonetheless there are now two Celine camps: Philophiles and Slimaniacs, and Slimane has made clear that his Celine consumer is not summoning board meetings and setting agendas but journaling, entering breathless adolescent musings in her diary.