The PR Verdict? A Roaring Success

How was it for you? Did you buy anything? The £900 shoes? The £3200 Mum necklace? The classic, failsafe, oh-so-Old-Celine high neck jumper in melange? At 3pm GMT, a time serendipitously convenient for shoppers in New York, Los Angeles and Japan, Phoebe Philo finally dropped the collection fans had been waiting years for.

The commentary on the clothes was as interesting as the clothes themselves. As one, the internet turned fashion critic, with fashion editors going cheek by jowl with every TikTokker who’s ever bought a funnel neck jumper from H&M. Which is as it should be. Everyone has an opinion about clothes – and everyone, it seems, has an opinion about Phoebe’s.

Rather than critiquing them, most discourse centred around the prices. Yes, they were expensive, but no more so than expected, and certainly no more so than her competitors. Too many comments only served to emphasis the shallow fashion knowledge of the commenters. Personally, I’d have liked to see slightly lower price points that took account of the savings she’s making by being DTC. But ultimately, she can charge what she likes.

The value of something can only ever be what someone is prepared to pay for it. While we don’t know the volume of product in each category, that most of it sold out means it isn’t overvalued. The PR verdict? A roaring success, without a single interview to support it. I actually hope she never gives one, and always lets the clothes do the talking – egalitarianism at its best.