Hermès brightened up a rather dreary Paris afternoon with its Fall men’s collection on Saturday, drawing inspiration from the racetrack. “I wanted this collection to be strong and energetic,” said Veronique Nichanian, the creative force behind the collection, who looked to jockeys’ vibrant racing silks for inspiration-teeming with contrast to the brand’s equestrian heritage. “I needed to change the color palette from deep browns and dark teals to tomato red and lemon yellow,” she explained.
The collection offered warmth, not only in spirit but in texture, through fuzzy mohair coats, velvet varsity jackets, and plush sheepskin outerwear. Such pieces enveloped the models, shielding them from winter’s chill. Nowhere was layering excessive as seen with past seasons; instead, it was kept as minimum as necessary to create sleek, streamlined shapes. Not even the grey pinstripe suits made an exception, as if excess bulk was a luxury Nichanian did not want men to enjoy if they were racing through life.
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Sweaters were the silent heroes of the collection, featuring bold chevrons and geometric patterns that take direct inspiration from the colorful stripes of racing silks. The sharp architecture of Palais d’Iéna is also echoed in these patterns. A standout turtleneck had a nostalgic trigonometry vibe, featuring patchwork triangles, rectangles, and squares in vibrant canary yellow. A jacket with a shawl collar was playing the same game of geometric playfulness in cool blues, blacks, and whites.
Nichanian’s collection blended classic tailoring and a playful irreverence, quietly confident of the Hermès spirit. By balancing tradition with innovation, the collection demonstrated that Hermès could still surprise, delivering a collection that was both refined and delightfully unexpected, quite literally off to the races.
