PARIS FASHION WEEK AW17: HERMES

Amy Louise   |   06-03-2017

Today’s venue for the Hermes AW17 collection, took place at the magnificent naval museum, The Palais de Chaillot. The venue was dark and open, with a brightly lit up runway to attract full focus. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s previous Fall 2016 collection was described as typically elegant and luxurious, but a simple and inconspicuous one. However, today’s collection certainly caught everyone’s attention and highlighted Vanhee-Cybulski’s evident desire for a more fashion forward edge to the brand.

Leather pieces and outerwear were the key winners throughout this marvellously colour coordinated collection. High waisted leather trousers, leather pencil skirts and mini skirts were teamed with beautifully crafted, leather buckled waist belts, along with crocodile brogues and lace up boots. Details such as eyelets, zippers and panelling really updated these pieces. Outerwear ranged from oversized coats to sumptuous leather jackets, utilitarian style jackets and duffel coats. The real eye-catching numbers were the boldly coloured shearling gillet and jacket, the perfect retro statement pieces.

The collection transitioned from retro camel shades, outerwear and knitwear to beautiful silk pieces, consisting of floaty patterned dresses, to vibrant ruffled shirts and two silk dresses featuring the brand’s popular equestrian print. Vanhee-Cybulski’s collection focused on the feminine silhouette, with a particular emphasis on cinching in the waist and featuring high waisted pieces. Layering was also a key trend with suede skirts worn over leather trousers and polo necks worn underneath sweaters and outerwear. Bold colours were also a common theme, proving that this particular Hermes woman is not one to fade into the background.

Hermes is a brand that will always depict the height of luxury, quality and elegance and with that, it could be easy for Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski to play it safe. However, it is clear that Vanhee-Cybulski wants to focus more on fashion, rather than the quintessential style so synonymous with the label. It perhaps would have been nice to see more of a focus on the bags that make this brand so renowned, but with a collection as delightful and as fresh as this, we are certainly not complaining.