To Longchamp’s racecourse to watch Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski put the Hermès girls through their paces. Actually, this was a highly civilized occasion, once we’d got there, bumper to bumper among the Saturday traffic exiting Paris. The weather played its part to utter perfection—which was great good fortune, considering the presumable risk of ruination by rain of all the incredibly fine, buttery leathers that were on show.
The designer wisely resisted the temptation to go horsey with this show. Instead, it walked an unusual, sophisticated line between sporty and summery without falling into the dreaded, common ditch of “athleisure.” There were canvas tunics, trimmed with pale yellow leather; a summer sailing coat in Hermès orange with wide sleeves and brown and rope detailing; great flat strappy sandals with everything. Vanhee-Cybulski pulled off some magically vivid colors among the neutrals—the raspberry papery jumpsuit, the turquoise parka.
Calm and believable, it was also a lovely event for an accessories display. The bags: leather buckets, slouchy suede hobos, mini-shapes with bolted closures and wide camera straps. Discussion upon leaving centered upon the want-ability of the flat strappy sandals and the hopes that at some time in the future, the classy, orange-trimmed neoprene swimwear might be found in an Hermès airport shop, ready to class up a summer escape.
