It’s a big year for Hermès, and a transitional one, too. Earlier this year the brand bid farewell to its longtime men’s artistic director, Véronique Nichanian, after 37 years and has welcomed her successor, British designer Grace Wales Bonner, who will unveil her first collection for the brand in January.
So it’s no surprise that Hermès kept its presentation low-key with a showroom presentation, and around 40 looks, including breezy shirts, perforated leather jackets and featherweight knits, on display.
The in-house design team, which had worked for years under Nichanian, stayed the course with a sophisticated collection full of fine tailoring details, delicate leatherwork and fresh takes on silk. They worked in a palette of muted tones, including pewter, faded blue, and ice white, alongside delicious shades of coffee, caramel and chocolate.
Breezy collarless shirts with buttons down the front were layered over delicate ribbed knit tank tops, while dressier shirts made from a blend of cotton and silk came with windowpane check. Another cotton shirt had a sweet cowboy and horse pattern, while a silk style skewed more dramatic with a gaucho-inspired pattern.
Jackets were just as lightweight. Tailored ones had no lining, and came with drawstring trousers — what a joy on a hot summer’s day — while blouson styles had delicate openwork seams. A chunky cotton herringbone sweater did double duty as jacket.
Rising temperatures have forced Hermès to re-think the summer silk tie, and the team responded with gusto, shrinking, shortening and knotting it loosely around the neck.
Leather always takes a starring role, and this season was no exception. Pieces included a gray shirt with a tone-on-tone flamingo pattern and a caramel jacket with holes the size of nickels, recalling those on one of the Hermès Mangeoire bags.
One dark brown jacket had contrasting white seams inspired by those on old basketballs, while others had pinprick perforations in the shape of little boxes, a pattern meant to mimic those on some of the Hermès ties.
For outdoorsy types, there were trench coats done in a patchwork of technical fabric and leather and anoraks with a subtle gaucho print. Even in this season of transition from one creative generation to another, the brand had much to offer. Customers won’t be disappointed.
