One of the most instantly recognisable icons of one of the world’s most iconic cities, the Arc de Triomphe sits at the heart of Paris, commemorating moments in French history with a beauty and visual harmony all its own. This magnificent monument is inextricably intertwined with the history and aesthetic of another quintessential element of the City of Light: Celine.

Loud and proud: the Celine Teen Chain Besace.
The much-loved Parisian luxury maison has long turned to the arch as a source of inspiration, designing pieces that have reflected its grace and grandeur for half a century. The long association began when the brand’s founder, Céline Vipiana, was driving close to the Arc de Triomphe when her car broke down. She found herself gazing at it, ideas forming. She was inspired by the graceful, curving lines of the arch and the intricate friezes that adorn it, but also by a rather more humble but nonetheless indispensable element: the chain that surrounds it. The chain motif instantly became an important element of the maison’s visual vocabulary, and was soon being used on all sorts of items, from bags to jewellery to shoes.

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Transformed into the double “C” logo – the two letters facing away from each other – that adorns so many of Celine’s coveted creations, it also appears in the form of the Triomphe closure on the much-loved collection of bags of the same name. It’s found on numerous pieces debuted by Celine this season, including a rather special new bag that also comes with a chain.
Rocking the runway: a black Teen Chain Besace is the ideal accessory for a leather ensemble.
The Teen Chain Besace is a new version of the Teen Besace, a cute clutch with a Triomphe closure that made its debut in the house’s autumn 2022 collection, shaped like a square but with curves at the bottom corners, those curves mimicked by the bottom of the bag’s front flap.

Now it comes with the addition of a cross-body chain – one with a 50cm drop, something that’s never been seen on a Triomphe bag before. In calfskin with a lambskin lining, it comes in black, rice and velvet red shiny calfskin, and features three inner compartments, as well as a thin layer of foam inside to create a bombé or “full” effect.

The less is more approach: the Celine Teen Chain Besace.

The Teen Chain Besace was featured twice in the maison’s winter 2022 show, Dans Paris, which took place at the Salons D’Apparat of the 18th century Hôtel de la Marine and military museum Les Invalides, and represented an evolution of the brand’s previous collection – spring/summer 2022’s Baie des Anges.

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As such, it represents another step in the design process of Hedi Slimane, who became Celine’s creative, artistic and image director in 2018, stamping his inimitable seal on the brand ever since. Known for his pioneering, head-turning, rock ‘n’ roll-drenched approach to luxury fashion, Slimane has set about designing yet more instant classics for a brand that’s intimately interwoven into the story of Paris – just like the magnificent arch to which it pays tribute in so many of those pieces.