At Hermès, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski treads the fine line between the specifics of an haute Parisian culture, and transient trend. It’s a difficult balancing act. Somehow, with this collection, one would much prefer to reach out and feel the material quality of the garments than comment on how they fit into the passing whims of the season. The very attraction of this brand, for those who can afford it, is timelessness.
So what would a long-range eye for the Hermès heritage purchase zoom in on, at a guess? The chic compromise between the horse blanket and the cape, cut in a classy shade of dusty salmon pink twill, bordered in raspberry leather and lined in red, look 2. A pale pink leather maxi-coat, with a full-length quilted liner, presumably for a lifestyle which can risk spillages, look 7. Any of the coats, padded suede jackets and ribbed knits made in the vocabularly challenging spectrum of camel, beige, amber, and buttermilk; Hermès heartland.
There may also be a following for the ’60s and ’70s Hermès scarf prints Vanhee-Cybulski pulled from the archive—there are people who are fanatical about that heritage. Still, it’s all in the subtleties with this brand. Perhaps the aspect of the world of Hermès the designer made most credible to both the classic customer and the fashion-forward one this season was the discreet gold multiple chain and pendant jewelry, laid on just as if each girl who wore it really owned it. As a nota bene: representation of diversity in modeling is something this creative director has brought to the house ever since she stepped in, a fact which ought not to need calling out by now, but is a credit to her.
