In what was the final and most anticipated show of Paris fashion week, Nicolas Ghesquière proved he was the perfect choice to replace Marc Jacobs with his debut collection for Louis Vuitton.

The catwalk show, frustratingly scheduled at the end of fashion week, had many wondering whether Ghesquière, 42, had the mettle to succeed Marc Jacobs as the label’s new creative director.

The front row was dominated by famous faces, including French actresses Catherine Deneuve and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Princess Charlene of Monaco and Ghesquière’s one-time mentor Jean Paul Gaultier.

But the verdict is now in. Ghesquière’s clear, coherent collection was a success, with many critics praising how he captured Louis Vuitton’s essence.

The show featured a wintry palette of blacks, beiges, browns and the occasional dash of red, with leather used not only for accessories, but in many of the pieces themselves. Skirts were short, gently flared and cinched at the waist while trousers were tight-fitting. Some of the angles and cuts were reminiscent of Ghesquière’s style at Balenciaga, which he left in November 2012.

“I didn’t want to do a theme or a story or be very dramatic. I think I have this vision of Vuitton as multiple propositions…. it is a woman who is talented at mixing clothes, more than having a (single) look,” Ghesquière said backstage, after the show.

“It’s that modernity that I love with Vuitton. It’s this easiness that you have comfortable functional pieces, embellished pieces, it’s the way you mix it together, this new casualness that I am interested in,” he said.