Review of Hermès Fall 2023 Men’s Fashion Show
Exquisite Juxtapositions
By Obi Anyanwu
Exquisite menswear is a game Hermès knows better than most companies around the world.
Véronique Nichanian produced a master class in fluid lines and rich fabric choices.
For Fall/Winter 2023, Véronique Nichanian produced a master class in fluid lines and rich fabric choices. The house on their social media considered this collection as one with a tang of oxymoron. There are juxtapositions, contrasts, and opposites coming together to form a beautiful collection “for walking men,” as Hermès put it.
Leather and knitwear attract the viewer to explore the individual details that make each piece unique like patchwork, patterned, chunky knit sweaters, a unique knit turtleneck with a cable knit pattern on the left side, and colorful patterns on the right that could lean towards Fair Isle patterns as much as Indigenous American patterns (one has to explore the origin of said patterns and their appropriateness), a shearling and leather jacket and peacoat with a buckle closure on a leather detail.
There are juxtapositions, contrasts and opposites coming together to form a beautiful collection “for walking men,” as Hermès put it.
In addition to the buckle closure, several outerwear styles, including the grey leather coat cinched at the waist with a belt, had large flap pockets for yesterday’s and today’s workman.
But all of the styles almost took a backseat to the stunning bag collection, which will surely draw a bulk of Hermès’ sales in the fall. Several briefcases appeared in burgundy leather, brown leather, and black in a crocodile pattern.