From its equestrian roots to the apogee of modern luxury that it now embodies, Hermès has stood for travel. Travel is movement. With his show today, Christophe Lemaire adopted the stance that no movement is more modern than the nomad's. He opened with the gaucho—knit serape, baggy leather pants tucked into boots—and closed with pieces that were printed with folkloric patterns from the Russian steppes.
In between, Lemaire roamed the Hermès archives to find a fellow traveler in Martin Margiela and the work he did for the brand in the late nineties. The sight of Cecilia Chancellor in a big coat over a generously sized suit and sweater, all of them in the most meditative shade of gray, instantly evoked Margiela's Hermès shows: so still, so respectful, so androgynous.
That fits Lemaire's own aesthetic to a cashmere tee. The collection he showed today moved with serene confidence through a shadow land between mens- and womenswear. One of the strongest outfits was a suit—the trousers with a knit cuff—over a buttoned-up white shirt and a sweater with a V-neck that almost reached the waist. It was severe but erotic.
