One of the unspoken rules of fashion journalism is to always suspend judgment on debut collections. We’re not just talking about the collections of rookie designers, but also those of new creative directors at established brands. When a new creative director takes over a brand, they often have very little time to put together a collection – in some cases, just a few months or even less. For example, Alessandro Michele’s debut at Gucci remains historic, providing a general idea of the brand’s new direction but was much more sparse compared to what would follow. Additionally, many debut collections are like casting a wide net in the water, to carefully gauge which looks and styles resonate best with the audience and adjust course for the next season.

So, we must weigh the five debut collections seen in recent weeks with some detachment, without leaning too heavily in one direction – time, like a good judge, will confirm or overturn the verdict.

1. Tod’s

A veteran of Rochas, Schiaparelli, Pucci, and especially Bottega Veneta, Matteo Tamburini has weathered the landing at Tod’s with great grace. Partly because his product sensibility has supported the momentum the brand had gained with Walter Chiapponi, and partly because the show he organized, in one of ATM’s historic warehouses, encapsulated very well that “Milanese” essence that is emerging these days as a response to the classic French chicness seen on the streets of Paris. In a somewhat lackluster and feverish season, Tamburini provided a clear, sharp demonstration, suggesting that interesting experiments may lie ahead.

2. Blumarine

Moving from Nicola Brognano to Walter Chiapponi was like switching from Cosmopolitan to red wine. Blumarine is a deceptively simple brand, whose perception varies by generation. Those who followed and consumed fashion in the ’80s and ’90s certainly remember the frisson of Anna Molinari’s style, Helmut Newton’s campaigns with Monica Bellucci, that coquettish ’90s lolita elegance. Others are attached to Nicola Brognano’s radical sexiness and The O.C.-esque sensibility. A world as playful as it is mischievous, which Chiapponi steered towards the same aesthetic territories as Christiane F., Davide Sorrenti, and Nancy Spungen, but without the same taste for the precious and the decadent. We might have wanted to see more abandon, more romanticism, and, lacking better words, more bite.

3. Moschino