The first outfit from this season’s Givenchy collection was a mesh bodysuit emblazoned with the words “Givenchy Paris 1952” in bold white lettering across the chest. It was sleek, it was sexy, and it marked our very first glimpse at Sarah Burton’s Givenchy. The collection carries a compelling story. During recent renovation work at Hubert de Givenchy’s original atelier, a trove of calico patterns from his 1952 debut collection was unearthed in brown paper packets. The fact that these patterns had survived for over 70 years didn’t just feel like a miracle, it felt like a sign. For Burton, these rediscovered patterns became a natural starting point for her debut collection.

Drawing inspiration from Givenchy’s earliest days, when Hubert would present his collections in the intimate confines of his atelier, this show exuded that same sense of closeness. It was held at 3 Avenue George V, Givenchy’s headquarters since 1955, and the models moved through airy rooms flanked by tightly packed rows of onlookers sat on piles of paper envelopes, just like those discovered in the atelier. Burton wanted this arrangement, ensuring that every detail of every garment could be seen. “It’s my natural instinct to go back to pattern-cutting,” Burton said in the show notes. “To craftsmanship. To cut, shape, and proportion. It’s what I feel, how I work, and what I want to do.”

Though the collection has only been in our minds for a few hours, it has already been met with enthusiastic praise. The stunning hourglass silhouettes on numerous coats and jackets harkened back to Hubert’s early, groundbreaking designs. By blending these with contemporary elements like mesh and sexy leathers, Burton managed to craft a contemporary update of what Hubert might have been designing if he were still with us. But this wasn’t merely a homage to Givenchy’s founding father. This was Burton’s moment. And what she brought to the table was a level of craftsmanship and a mastery of shape and proportion that the house had been yearning for.

Take Look 34, for instance, the striking leather corset, the exaggerated puffy arms, the bold double zips. Or Look 5 with its windswept sculptured scarf. See Look 20’s playful backwards jacket, and the herringbone pattern in Look 9 dissolved as if consumed by a black hole. Not even to mention the demi-couture dress of Look 29, constructed out of used make-up cases. Aren’t these details just thrilling?

This show felt like the perfect blueprint for how a new designer should debut at a legacy house. Let’s hope this sets the tone for the many debuts to come this year.