“The sky is the limit, that's the New York experience,” Hermès artistic director Nadège Vanhée told WWD ahead of the second part of her fall 2024 collection, which hit the runway Thursday night.
The mood was set as soon as guests entered the Pier 36 venue, where dozens of hanging yellow traffic lights swung above the tarmac. The house brought together a strong mix of global clients, including Usher, Tierrar Whack, Morgan Spector, Rebecca Hall and more, to experience the New York minute, which extended well into the night.
Immediately after the show, the curtain fell to reveal a Hermès “Manhattan Rocabar” after-party on an outdoor terrace by the water, featuring a DJ booth (with musical performances by Rahill, Carolina Polachek and Honey Dijon), cocktails and catering by the iconic Carbone Restaurant.
During a preview on Wednesday, Vanhée described the show as a cousin of her February show at Paris Fashion Week. While ultimately as luxurious as its predecessor, there was a clear shift in this second chapter towards something more youthful with an urban edge and sex appeal.
“The Zigzag Between Paris and New York” began with brightly colored, patterned versions of traditional horseback riding and motorcycle classics, mixed with the eclectic New York style observed by Vanhée, a former New Yorker.
Taxi yellow outerwear with leather trim; turtlenecks with double rosette collars in traffic light red and bright blue; wool knit equestrian sports jackets; Padded moto capes and plenty of stylish leather pants set the mood to the tune of “Luck of Lucien” by A Tribe Called Quest.
She continued to amp up the energy with silk scarf tops and hybrid cashmere knitwear featuring the brand's traditional “Rocabar” blanket stripe motif. Striped knit dresses and sets with luxe leather inserts, like those worn by Paloma Elesser and Irina Shayk, pushed knitwear even further. As the palette transitioned to graphic black and white, shearling jumpsuits stood out as a must-have piece, although there were many of them.
The looks were complemented to the nines with chic, urban footwear, including luxurious leather cowboy boots from the Paris show, now also in white. She also wore layers of high-fashion jewelry, including studded Colliers de Chiens cuffs and stacked bracelets; avant-garde leather sailor caps (worn by each model) and leather scarves, chains and belts. There were large and small bags, perfect for walks around the city or nights on the town, with envelope style options and mini bags worn around the waist among the standouts.
Vanhée wanted to create a street-inspired mosaic of New York personalities, psychologies and styles, and the mix of traditional Parisian luxury and Big Apple value was worth the trip.
