Welcome to Michael Rider’s Celine. Debuting a collection from a new designer is always a statement. But staging a show during the brief window of rest most fashion editors get between ready-to-wear and couture? That takes guts. Then again, why not make a bold entrance? Celine isn’t a revolving door; its creative directors tend to stay the course. Céline Vipiana herself led the house until 1988, and since then, only six designers have taken the helm. Few major fashion houses can claim such a direct lineage back to their founder. Presented inside the house’s atelier at 16 rue Vivienne, a vast, decorated silk foulard – just like the ones presented as invites – hung above the building’s central courtyard, trying its best to hold off the rain. Notable front rowers included Alanis Morissette, Dev Hynes and Naomi Watts, while Rider chose The Cure’s Pictures of You as his opener.

Slimane’s tenure at Celine will ultimately be seen as defining of our era. Before him, Phoebe Philo’s reign was widely regarded as a golden age of 21st-century fashion (Rider worked at the house for a decade during Philo’s time). Naturally, the pressure on Rider was immense. But even in this first collection, his vision is clear. There is a deliberate shift toward wardrobe essentials, those timeless pieces you will keep forever, along with a strong emphasis on wearability. Nothing felt excessive. Even the gold jewellery and demi-couture pieces, like the dress constructed from Celine tags, remained entirely wearable – and very desirable. It isn’t yet possible to sum up Rider’s aesthetic in an obvious, pithy way. Parts of the collection were preppy, parts strictly business.

There were mix-and-match evening looks, alongside much more casual blazer-and-jeans silhouettes. For those who found recent years of Celine defined by an easeful Nouvelle Vague coolness, there were still plenty of “don’t look at me” sunglasses, paired with ballet flats and slouchy bags – including an update on Philo’s classic Phantom bag. We saw grey sweaters, army jackets, argyle jumpers, boxy suits, wide-collar rugby shirts, fur jackets, leather bodysuits (for men!), and lots of denim. “Celine stands for quality, for timelessness and for style,” said Rider in a note given to attendees, “Ideals that are difficult to catch, and even harder to hold on to, to define, despite more and more talk about them out there.” And that’s the clincher, Rider isn’t chasing passing trends; he’s establishing an atmosphere and attitude that lasts.