PARIS (AP)– Hermes brightened a dismal Paris mid-day with its autumn males’s collection Saturday, as Veronique Nichanian transformed to the racetrack for ideas. Jockeys’ vivid auto racing silks became her muse, a vibrant counterpoint to the French maison’s fabled equestrian origins. “I wanted this collection to be strong and energetic,” Nichanian described, her scheme rotating from deep browns and dark teals to flashes of tomato red and lemon yellow.
The collection emitted heat, both in spirit and appearance. Fuzzy mohair layers, velour university coats and deluxe sheepskin outerwear covered designs in an accept that appeared created to respond to winter months’s cool. Layering was much less noticable this period, an intentional relocate to maintain streamlined, structured shapes. Even grey pinstripe fits– pared back to basics– shunned mass, resembling Nichanian’s vision of males unencumbered as they race with life.
Sweaters became the collection’s unhonored heroes. Their strong chevrons and geometric patterns were raised straight from the vivid red stripes of competing silks, a lively nod to Palais d’Iéna’s skyrocketing, angular design. A standout turtleneck, with its jumble of triangulars, rectangular shapes, and squares in canary yellow, appeared to funnel a classic love for trigonometry. Elsewhere, a coat with a stole collar mirrored the exact same visual blowing, made in awesome tones of blue, black and white.
Though based in traditional customizing, the collection commemorated irreverence. Nichanian’s association of practice and development recorded Herm ès’ principles with a silent self-confidence. Here, performance was imbued with a touch of fancifulness, showing once more that the maison’s improvement can still amaze and thrill. In a period soaked in fond memories and geometry, Herm ès provided a collection that was, fairly essentially, off to the races.
Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
