Hermès AW20 was pure fashion ASMR

Hermès started life as a luxury equestrian saddle-maker almost 200 years ago, so it’s perhaps only to be expected that there will be fine labour-intensive leathers and horsey craftsmanship running through its oh-so-luxe collections. French designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski has envisioned the house’s womenswear as the ultimate riposte to fleeting trends and gaudy branding. It’s always a slow burn of timeless (and therefore eye-wateringly expensive) clothes and accessories that will be around for another two centuries at least.

But there was something else on offer in her latest collection that was unexpected: glamour! The house has recently launched 24 shades of lipsticks in chic Pierre-Hardy designed (plastic-free) tubes, not dissimilar in design to the show-jumping poles that formed a “forest of vertical bars” at the brand’s show on Saturday evening. The new additions seemed to infiltrated Nadine’s outlook. She’s only human after all. Who doesn’t perk up with a slick of red lippy?

But the flashes of red on the mouths of models wasn’t the only colour on show. There were jolts of bright primary hues throughout, naturally countered by the palette of white and browns as delicious as a Nutella crepe. Sometimes the classics are the best, especially when they taste — sorry, look — this good. The colours offered up something new and we’re apparently inspired by Nadège’s childhood fashion idol, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who she invited to the show.

The presentation had a Bauhaus vibe that could easily be interpreted as ‘80s Memphis. And while every other fashion house and designer riff on the dress codes of the bourgeoisie, here was a lesson in how it’s truly done: neat pleated leather skirts and the supplest cashmere polo necks, chic silk scarves elegantly tied around the neck like statement necklaces, and abbreviates trousers worn with sturdy, practical boots.

Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent the wheel if it’s made to last. This is the fashion equivalent of ASMR: softly-whispered luxury that immediately puts one at ease. No wonder Hermès has been around around for so long — and will be in centuries to come.

Credits

Photography Mitchell Sams