Following his controversial debut collection at Celine, Hedi Slimane met the #OldCeline fans halfway for his Autumn/Winter 2019 show at Paris Fashion Week. But he did so on his own terms. Though this season seemed, at first sight, like a corrective to its precursor, Slimane’s response to the Philo loyalists wasn’t to give them exactly what they demanded, but instead to throwback to the original Celine girl of the 1970s, before the days of  LVMH and Phoebe Philo.

As a return to the French house’s roots, Slimane traded in his signature all-black codes for an earthier palette of sepias and bourgeoise check prints. He brought the hemlines down to the knees and loosened the fit with pleated skirts and billowing culottes. He softened the edge of his rocker look with an approachable, lived-in feel via faded blue jeans, plush knit ponchos, and scrunchy, thigh-high leather boots. There was a crowd-pleasing glitzy-gold jacket and culottes combo that transitioned into the evening section, which perhaps gave the best of both old and new Celine. And then there was the closing look — a familiar skinny black suit that was Slimane to the core — as a tongue-in-cheek reminder of the designer’s unyielding aesthetic.