Hermès: A New York Love Affair in Parisian Threads
By Mackenzie Richard
Nadège Vanhée has always had a soft spot for New York. Even after leaving the city for Paris a decade ago to become Hermès’ artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear, the city’s urban charm still lingers in her heart. This week, she returned to her old stomping grounds to present a continuation of her fall collection—a unique blend of French sophistication and American dynamism. With traffic lights suspended from the ceiling and the soundscape of New York City’s bustling energy filling the air, Pier 36 was transformed into an ephemeral runway.
The City That Inspires
The collection felt like a seamless extension of the fall show dedicated to horses and motorbikes. This latest offering showcased fitted leather pieces and vibrant race car reds, embodying the perfect fusion of Parisian flair and New York edge. Vanhée’s journey with Hermès has been shaped by her predecessors. She admired Jean Paul Gaultier’s experimental freedom, Martin Margiela’s consolidation of fundamentals, and Christophe Lemaire’s unique brand infusion. However, she found her true inspiration in the archives of Lola Prusac and Catherine de Karolyi, female designers who left a strong imprint on Hermès.
An Urban Equestrian Dream
The collection’s key word, Rocabar, conjures a tradition of play and collaboration across cultures and languages. Originally named after a striped horse rug—a rug à barres, as a Scottish saddler once called it—it has settled over the course of more than a century into an iconic Hermès motif of vibrantly earthy color tones. These tones found their natural counterpart in the iconic brick and stone facades of New York’s Lower East Side, where the buzzing city looks across the East River to a radiant sprawl of urban possibility.
This season, Vanhée reimagined the rocabar blanket to capture the essence of New York’s Lower East Side. The collection featured the blanket’s earthy tones, reflecting the brick and stone facades of the area, with dynamic splashes of viridian green, cobalt blue, and vermillion red adding vibrancy.
Hermès’ latest showcase epitomized the modern New York woman—practical, stylish, and multifaceted. Leather jumpsuits with multiple pockets, Kelly bags transformed into fanny packs, and silk Hermès scarves worn as belts highlighted this sartorial narrative. The devil, as always, was in the details: leather Mariner hats and a distinctive array of accessories added layers of sophistication to each look.
Like the city, the collection comes to life as a mosaic of patterns, a melting pot of colors, textures, and codes. Each street, each bridge, tunnel, and skyscraper is built upon layers of history, of exchange and desire; stories and experiences flare up and dart away as regularly as a traffic light splashes its signals into the evening mist. Likewise, the clothes and accessories unveiled here bring together a thoughtful jumble of functions, attitudes, and looks: the nautical nod of a double-breasted pea coat over the equestrian trappings of a wool knit sport jacket and a miniskirt quilted like a saddle pad. Rosette collar turtlenecks layered under lambskin overalls or a cashmere overshirt. A flash of leg between horse boots and a rugged lumber jacket, silk scarves belted around a leather jumpsuit.
Vermilion red, ginger yellow, viridian green. The jungle of bangles and bracelets. Secrets stashed in a bag, in a pair of zip-up boots, under a leather mariner’s cap. So many twists and turns, intersections and collisions, forming a novel silhouette as eclectic and free as city life itself: practical and feminine, lively and fierce, structured and audacious. The best of all worlds.
A Night to Remember
Following the runway show, Pier 36 transitioned into a vibrant party venue. Stars like Usher, Lily Allen, and Nicky Hilton sipped champagne along the waterfront as Honey Dijon, Rahill, and Caroline Polachek provided the soundtrack. Polachek’s performance, in a striking red leather ensemble, was a highlight of the evening, perfectly capturing the collection’s bold and playful spirit.
Gregoris Pyrpylis, the head of Hermès Beauty, introduced a new collection of eyeliners and lip liners inspired by the vibrant energy of New York. Models like Irina Shayk and Paloma Elsser sported shades like Vert Titien and Bleu Nuit, adding a playful yet sophisticated edge to their looks.
Vanhée’s Hermès girl finds her inspiration in the city’s vibration—its energy and endless possibilities. This collection was not just a fashion statement but a celebration of the city that never sleeps, where every corner holds the promise of a fresh attitude and style.
Scroll through the gallery to see every look from Hermès’ Fall/Winter 2024 collection part two and experience the magic of New York through the eyes of Hermès.