Large modernist speakers stood on the Celine runway as part of a custom sound system designed by Matéo Garcia. The message was loud and clear: Michael Rider was amping things up. Since arriving at the Parisian house, Rider has balanced the preppy with the Parisian; this season, however, he dialled down the casual and sharpened his silhouette. The result was defined, streamlined, and effortlessly cool. “At its best, Celine is a style: a mix of old and new that feels urgent and dreamy,” read the show notes. “Making the things we all dream of finding and wearing.”

The looks were subtle but razor-sharp, slim silhouettes moving between austere tailoring and playful pattern. Monochrome outfits gradually gave way to flashes of leopard print, checks, and bold abstract illustration, while scarves became sculptural, caught as if mid-gust in windswept shapes. “A small rebellion,” Rider’s notes suggested, hinting at the quiet gestures that made the collection shine: the rounded shoulders of a chic coat, the cinched precision of menswear tailoring, the kind of slimline silhouettes that would make you double – probably triple – take on the street.

Neat black bowler hats were very Annie Hall – or perhaps Françoise Hardy, given how distinctly Parisian Rider’s Celine feels – and a smoky, all-black tailored look (65) conjured Brian Jones in his most Canyon days. Since arriving at the house, Rider has often spoken about his characters moving between seasons and stories. These are clothes designed to live – pieces that only get better the more they’re worn.