PARIS, Jul 8, 2001/ --- Sunday saw the debut of Givenchy's new designer Julien Macdonald, whose unexpected recent appointment had stunned the fashion world.

It was the most eagerly awaited show of the French haute couture season that began this weekend.

But, after a collection of 41 largely black outfits from Macdonald, the mystery of his selection as new heir to the legendary Hubert de Givenchy, has only deepened.

While technically accomplished and not without some fine points, Macdonald's Givenchy broke no real new fashion ground. Nor did it show the sexiness expected from the man known as the Welsh Versace.

Staged in a grandiose private apartment on Avenue Foch before a select audience of about 400, the show opened with the theme music from Jean Luc Godard's classic "Contempt" followed by a sudden sampling of hip hop.

The soundtrack served to underline Macdonald's stated goal of "putting some youth back into elegance," as he told Paris daily Le Figaro. However, the collection itself was largely made up of eighties silhouettes mixed with 19th century trains, bows and mini bustles.

It did contain plenty of homage to Hubert -- Macdonald's second passage was his take on the legendary Bettina blouse with ballooned sleeves that the great master showed in his first collection back in 1952.

Macdonald showed he is clearly technically accomplished with a flurry of faille and organza dresses and a sleek black python skin trench coat with silver fox fur sleeves that had the photographers furiously working their shutters.

There were also some great sheer tops with beads and jade, though French critics will give credit for these looks to François Lesage, the famed Paris embroidery specialist.

Macdonald first grabbed attention in the mid-nineties when Karl Lagerfeld hired him to design glamorous sweaters containing metal threads. Surprisingly, given the acclaim those received, today's collection was almost bereft of knitwear.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle Macdonald faces at Givenchy is that he follows two master showmen, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.

While frequently admired, however, his two fellow Britons were not exactly important commercial successes during their tenures at the venerable LVMH-owned house.

So while the mystery still lingers over Macdonald's appointment, the ultimate jury will not be his Avenue Foch audience today, but women shopping for Givenchy next spring when his first ready-to-wear collection will reach boutique shelves.

Givenchy Haute Couture by Julien McDonald

Givenchy Haute Couture by Julien McDonald

Givenchy Haute Couture by Julien McDonald

Givenchy Haute Couture by Julien McDonald