"Extravagance is not part of the vocabulary," said Marco Zanini of his debut collection for Rochas, which suspended its rtw operations in 2006. In the collection he showed Thursday, Zanini got off to a good start with a lineup that exuded gentle, unassuming elegance. For starters, he chose the basic slip — "the most quintessential feminine dress" — as the foundation of the collection. To this, he added a French sophisticate mood inspired by Nouvelle Vague films like "Vivre sa Vie" and "Le Petit Soldat."

The result was confident clothes that looked both refined and easy. Consider a double-face wool coat with topstitched details or a cashmere cardigan lined in delicate chiffon. There were great tailored numbers, too, like the leisurely smoking ensemble and loosely cut, body-forgiving blouses and LBDs. In a nod to house founder Marcel Rochas, Zanini included ample tulle touches, rendered as underarm gussets, overlays or veiling on open backs. Throughout, the craftsmanship and execution were impressive. Cases in point: the gossamer double-layered long-sleeved dress or the intricately hand-beaded slip. So far, so good. Now only time will tell if Zanini can make this quieter Rochas roar.