Phoebe Philo’s return to the fashion spotlight is continuing with the label in which LVMH has a minority stake moving further away from being a direct-to-consumer brand only as it adds to its wholesale accounts.

Having launched originally online just last October — six years after Philo stepped down from the creative direction of Celine — the ultra-luxury offer first entered physical wholesale this spring in a deal with Bergdorf Goodman. And from next week, it will enter six more high-end physical locations across Europe and the US.

They include Dover Street Market in both London and Paris, plus 10 Corso Como in Milan and Maxfield and Neiman Marcus in LA, as well as South Beach, Miami’s The Webster.

Those stores will only be selling the pieces physically with online shopping still reserved for the official Phoebe Philo webstore.

It’s part of the overall slow-and-steady approach that has been taken to the launch and that appears to have paid off so far with the decision to expand into more stores a likely reflection of the Bergdorf move being a success.

At the ultra-high price level at which Philo is positioned, that physical presence makes sense given the continuing importance of touching, feeling and trying on for luxury shoppers… and the well-publicised challenges faced by online retail for selling luxe pieces.

News of the expansion coincides with the third ‘edit’ (that is, the third drop) for the collection and represents the “completion of an inaugural body of work”, we’re told.

That first set of edits was grouped under the banner A1. Pieces from each edit remain available and are being sold together for the first time, adding a season-neutral edge to the label as it rolls out further.

The first A2 edit is due next spring.

But the big question remains of whether a standalone Phoebe Philo store might happen. If it does, it clearly isn’t imminent. As mentioned, Philo and her team have taken a very measured approach to the brand launch and this new physical stores expansion is hardly taking it mainstream. After all, the brand has selected just six highly individual stores in luxury enclaves.

The company has been very good at keeping every move under wraps so we’ll just have to wait and see.