It would be interesting to get inside Véronique Nichanian's thought processes as she approaches each new collection for Hermès. What pushes her? Does she wonder what she can do that she hasn't already done? There was a fabric in tonight's collection—a goatskin somehow imprinted with silk twill—that counted as a conceptual, as well as technical, breakthrough. It brought together the two big Hermès signatures—skin and silk—in one material. And it seemed utterly typical of Nichanian that she would then use this signal achievement in a T-shirt. Just like she elasticated the waist of vibrant green suede pants or showed a voile blouson shirtless or cut a hooded sweatshirt out of water snake colored a dynamic tomato red. And paired just about everything with sandals.
So many casual details, defying not only the notion of the way the haute bourgeoisie in France would dress (Kris Van Assche offered his dissertation on the same topic at Dior Homme the other day, and came to a much more formal conclusion), but also the conventional image of Hermès. While it's true that some of these details—like the rolled pants and the knotted kerchiefs and the slightly undone mood—are show stylists' additions, the fact is that Nichanian has created a microclimate for menswear within Hermès that has its own easy, sensual heat. You could never say it was plain, but it is as simple as human attraction.
