Monday, March 7, 2011

Best of Paris Fashion Week

Hermès FW11

by Grace Gordon

With Jean Paul Gaultier no longer at the helm, every eye was on Christophe Lemaire for his debut collection at Hermès. With the history of the brand derived mostly from luxury leather goods and equestrian-wear roots, one expected to see this element all over Lemaire’s runway. Though he used animal skins to great effect, he stayed more in the sporting territories of archery, hunting and falconry (case in point, an actual hawk sat on the forearm of a model as she walked the runway). However, the whole of this collection could be reduced to a single influence: the wanderer.

Snow bunnies, resort-goers and the social elite jetset will get a lot out of this collection, but it’s to the rough-and-tumble travel savvy that the prize really goes. Nomadic desert tribes and Native American Indians were an immeasurable influence on Lemaire this season. He showed untamed leather ponchos, long robe-like silhouettes, and loose garments that were not just a couture version of these things – they’d actually function well in hard climates. However, the cropped pantsuits left a little to be desired, as they didn’t fit in with the pragmatic component of this collection. Warm, regal, and beautifully tailored, Lemaire’s debut collection for Hermès makes us want to leave the comforts of home in pursuit of our side of the mountain.