Paris Fashion Week was upended on Sunday (October 4) by the sudden news of Kenzo Takada’s death at age 81 . Reports say Takada died from Covid-19 complications, and members of the fashion world were quick to unite in paying tribute to the iconic Japanese designer. Like Milan before it , the coronavirus pandemic has forced Paris to undertake an unusual fashion season for spring-summer 2021. The nine-day calendar is flitting between 16 ready-to-wear runway collections with masked guests in seated rows, 20 in-person presentations and several dozen completely digital shows streamed online with promotional videos. One of Sunday’s highlights was storied maison Givenchy’s unveiling of new designer Matthew Williams’ debut collection. But the brand will have hoped such an important plot line would have begun in better days and not during a virus-hit Paris Fashion Week. Flackback: Zenzo’s Oliveira Baptista makes a ‘hot ticket’ debut at Paris Fashion Week in February 2020 Givenchy’s new designer There was a palpable excitement around Givenchy’s opulent Avenue Montaigne atelier on Sunday as Matthew Williams greeted editors to show off his debut collection, some four months after being named the replacement to Clare Waight Keller. 5 best strappy sandals to stride into summer – like Kate Middleton For a 34-year-old, Williams has quite a resume – after having designed for Kanye West and Lady Gaga , and having founded the influential urban fashion house 1017 ALYX 9SM. But this is the first time the Illinois, US-born designer had to delve into the archives and consider age-old fashion codes to complete a collection. The result? A strong set that fused couture with an urban rawness, his signature. Kylie Jenner’s sneakers got us looking closer at shoes: 5 hot fashion picks “It was inspiring to have 70 years of heritage. A lot came from Hubert,” he said at a preview, referring to the late house founder and fashion icon, Hubert de Givenchy. “But I tried to break it up.” A classic black bustier was funked up with laser cut strips on the bodice, and shiny, chunky black toeless clogs. A shimmering white coat had a strap across the torso and was hung beautifully from the shoulders in a reference to one of Givenchy’s original designs. Indeed, many of the 54 looks were inspired from the archive – such as a sheer white column dress that was given a lift with hundreds of silver ring embellishments that played on transparencies and depth. Gold locks – inspired by the love locks on Parisian bridges – were a big theme, adorning spiky belts, with ubiquitous gold chains adding a fierce edge. Touches such as these made this collection really feel like Williams was picking up where Riccardo Tisci – whose work had dark, urban Gothic undertones – left off. Waight Keller, who left earlier this year, had a more classical approach. Is childrenswear the future of luxury fashion? “Riccardo is a huge inspiration for me,” Williams acknowledged. This collection will help to put Givenchy back on the radar for the likes of stars like Kanye West, who were show fixtures under Tisci who designed for the house from 2005-2017. Takada’s death News of the French-Japanese designer’s death, reportedly from Covid-19, sent the fashion world into mourning. Money talks: peak handbag, pricey K-dramas, fashion’s rich list “It is with immense sadness that Kenzo has learned of the passing of our founder,” the fashion house said in a statement. “For half a century, Mr Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry – always infusing creativity and colour into the world.” Though Takada had retired from his house in 1999 to pursue a career in art, he remained one of the most respected fixtures of high Paris fashion. Since 1993, the brand Kenzo has been owned by the French luxury goods company LVMH. The current designer and artistic director, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, unveiled Kenzo’s spring-summer 2020 to fashion editors on September 30. Kenzo’s styles was to use bold colour and clashing prints, and was inspired by travels all over the world. “His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious,” Oliveira Baptista said. “His kindred spirit will live forever.” How luxury fashion is going body-positive to suit women of every size Schiaparelli’s gold View this post on Instagram WATCH LIVE October 4th The new SS21 RTW collection by @danielroseberry 10 am Paris time #Schiaparelli #SchiaparelliSS21 A post shared by Schiaparelli (@schiaparelli) on Oct 2, 2020 at 9:13am PDT The revamped house of the late, great couturier Elsa Schiaparelli has been on a creative roller coaster since launching some years ago as couture, going through several creative directors in a short time, and now presenting ready-to-wear. The latest designer Daniel Roseberry has, on the whole, been given a warm reception. And this should continue with Sunday’s fare – the third ready-to-wear collection for the house – in which the Texan designer said he wanted to blur the lines between the two contrasting traditions of making clothes. View this post on Instagram WATCH LIVE October 4th The new SS21 RTW collection by @danielroseberry 10 am Paris time #Schiaparelli #SchiaparelliSS21 A post shared by Schiaparelli (@schiaparelli) on Oct 3, 2020 at 9:00am PDT “One thing I particularly love about designing couture is how tactile the process is,” he said. “I wanted to bring that same hands-on sensibility to ready-to-wear as well.” An angular black bodice, that looked both couture and sporty, had a gathered and asymmetrical black skirt held by a large gold chain. Meanwhile a loose ruddy brown suit in tropical-weight cool wool had giant gold buttons that were shaped a little like nipples and placed in exactly the right place. How luxury brands are breaking back into China post-pandemic Jewellery was, for spring-summer, the stand-out part of the show. Schiaparelli, the house founder, was friends with the Surrealists such as Salvador Dali and evoked his creativity in wacky bejewelled creations. On Sunday, there was finger and toe jewellery: an oversized series of Zodiac necklaces, gargantuan sparkling gold exaggerated earrings and face pieces that recalled Schiaparelli’s favourite icons: the padlock, the lobster, the elephant head. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .