Céline space at Dover Street Market London on Level 2

At Australia’s premier department store David Jones, it is here that local citizens can prized their eyes on the offerings of Phoebe Philo’s discreet modernity. We’re talking about the perfect length and cut of a masculine trouser, the razor sharp Caruso tailoring of her outerwear pieces, the silk white blouse or the sumptuous leather skirt pieces she has made for the past few seasons. At the annual ritual cleansing of Dover Street Market in London headed by Comme des Garcons’ master Rei Kawakubo, Philo has interpreted her own Céline space that is currently housed on the menswear level adjacent to her neighbours including Casely-Hayford, JW Anderson, Haider Ackermann and Jil Sander.

Instead of encasing her quasi-office block with a neo-classicial facade, the overhead ceiling of elongated fluorescent tubes appear to be disfigured with only the large window panels from the building’s side to illuminate the space. The original completion of the building’s refurbishment back in 2004 by London based architects group KSS made major renovations inside the 19th century exterior but retained a cubical white stucture for its connecting spaces and walls. Although Kawakubo and her partner Adrian Joffe could have made radical changes to when it first opened, clearly they have left the state of the building’s interior skin to ‘deconstruct’ themselves over time.

Kawakubo’s belief is Dover Street Market to emanate by its host of designers that occupy over 6 floors inside the building. That is, to choreograph the set space by the respective designer than be lead by a precursor of visual mechanising. The camilla pink constructed wall and its tiered plinth shelving are adorned with encased artifacts – individual Italian calfskin leather bags, one with leopard spots and her mini bags with golden clasping. To the opposite side, lies a black De Stijl stand that suspend luxurious t-shirts and buttoned blouses with semi-cutaways collars, an army of chocolate brown leather top pieces, a bordeaux red ribbed cashmere sweater and her focal piece: a dogstooth crombie.

Individual pieces such as the Bordeaux ribbed cashmere sweater, black leather t-shirt and leopard print skirt are available through Dover Street Market

Philo’s space for her French maison inside Dover Street Market is resoundingly less mercurial than perhaps compared with her utterly scientific fluorescent-tubed laboratory which showcased her previous printemps-été collection in Paris last year. Nevertheless, as condensed is the spatial proportions of the floor’s division devoted to Philolites, hoards of her female disciples will grapple at the sight of her flawless prêt-à-porter.

The autumn 2011 collection of Céline can be found on the second floor of Dover Street Market, London.