Hermès Untamed
Review of Hermès Spring 2026 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Eq-west-trian, Liberated, Born to Ride
Nadège Vanhée loosened the reins for her latest collection for Hermès as a hint of bohemian nomad influenced her spring show. Imagine if you will a lone horsewoman corralling a herd on the great plains, living off grid, carefree and at one with nature and you pretty much have the designers muse for next season.
A hint of kink also crept into the collection and created a raw sexiness not often seen or thought of when you conjure up the average Hermès customer. Harnesses, saddles, straps, and other horse-adjacent necessities, while inherently linked with the heritage of the house as saddle makers, here they were rewired for a darker, kinkier purpose. An exploration of fetishist leanings could be found in the designers last collection, and here it was as if she wanted to further inflict pleasure through the guise of pain.
This collection was not for women who ride side saddle, but take control of the reins. As there was a skew towards a younger, freer sensibility in the leather lace-up bralettes and wrap-front minis not seen since her spring 2024 collection. The designer has never been one to fall into the trend trap but seeing her take on western-cum-bohemian feels like a natural place for the Hermès woman to reside, as the equestrian can also relate to horse riding in its natural habitat – not just for dressage. And within the print of the silk scarf-style blouses and relaxed shirts were motifs of horse-bits, horse-shoes and studs. This, coupled with the quilted leather skirt sets, midriff-skimming jackets, and halter-style ‘scarf tops’ are all working towards updating the brands codes and will make the ready-to-wear hard to resist for the younger-millennial and Gen Z crowd who are as equally enamoured by their iconic Kelly and Birkin bags – and as per look 17 of the show we will all be wearing them saddle-bag style, slung low on the waist next spring.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
For Spring 2026, Nadège Vanhée loosened the reins and let the Hermès woman ride into wilder terrain. The collection reimagined the house’s equestrian codes with a new, raw sensuality as harnesses and saddlery details transformed from symbols of restraint into instruments of freedom. Yet, even as Vanhée flirted with kink and bohemian romance, the craftsmanship held firm, grounding the fantasy in the house’s lineage.
