Natacha Ramsay-Levi is the first Frenchwoman installed at the French House since Martine Sitbon was appointed in 1988. The new Creative Director made her debut with the Chloé Spring 2018 collection during Paris Fashion Week.

Ramsay-Levi was inspired by the entire history of the house and took elements from all of her predecessors. From Lagerfeld came the idea for the painted dresses, only hers are crisp cotton, not silk, and painted with auspicious symbols like eyes and hands. McCartney and Philo both liked horses, and Ramsay-Levi’s chevaux were embroidered on trim velvet tailoring. She said she took a sense of lightness from Waight Keller, indicating the floaty micro-floral print dresses. Even Hannah MacGibbon got a nod via a pair of slouchy camel pants.

More than anything, though, this looked like Ramsay-Levi herself and the strong, sturdily heeled figure she’s long cut on Paris’s fashion scene. In particular, the tailored leather outerwear and skinny cropped jeans stitched with identifying Os are a firm about-face from the dreamy bohemianism of recent Chloé collections. Elsewhere, there were trophy items aplenty that young women will eagerly save up for: silk jersey “going out” tops with embroidered bibs, a prairie dress in the faintest blue linen with rings piercing the bodice, and those horsey velvets.

The collection also included relatable accessories like cannage leather boots, python booties, and multi-strap anti-It bags.

See all the highlights from the Chloe Spring 2018 runway show.