Hermès shows the second part of the Fall/Winter women's collection with a New York-style party

New York and Paris are inextricably linked for those who are not very aware.

The two main cities share a similar fascination. While Americans consider Paris their top place to visit, the French dream of New York is Xanadu.

Thus, for Nadège Vanhée, artistic director of Hermès women's ready-to-wear, it was most likely a dream come true to show the brand's first world show outside of Paris with a new collection called 'Manhattan Rocabar', in reference to the original name of a striped horse rug indicating cross-cultural pollination; Also known in this case as 'Paris meets New York'.

The Hermès woman from the first part of the collection leaned towards a sexier and more subversive side with her stylish biker girl lifestyle. The second part had elements of that mood, but combined them with a color palette that could reference both the autumn leaves of New York and the urban hip-hop fashion of the 80s and, definitely, the colors of a New York traffic light. The show space was covered with traditional three-color signage units, which were illuminated both on the dance floor and in the party room into which it was transformed immediately after the show.

Therefore, the color palette ranged from bright yellows, deep reds and Kelly green. It was combined with neutral black, cream, brown and Hermès orange to express a kaleidoscope of patterns, textures and codes seemingly reminiscent of New York's melting pot. Style motifs were also mixed. Namely, a big yellow fisherman's coat, a nautical peacoat, wool equestrian sports jackets, a saddle-like miniskirt, bicycle-inspired leather jumpsuits and feminine knits, a seemingly growing category in the work by Vanhée, came together in a delicious mix. -mix.

As noble as those motifs may seem, the adoption of codes and colorful combinations could also be seen as an ode to early hip-hop, which was born on the streets of New York. A hooded leather vest looked equal parts après ski in Gstaad and urban sports attire. Even the leather Mariner caps worn by almost all the models could be reminiscent of the Newsboy-style caps worn by early artists of the genre and so ingeniously captured by photographers Jamal Shabazz and Janette Beckman.

Accessories, an area the brand is pushing beyond its famous Birkin and Kelly bags, ranged from crescent-shaped shoulder bags, zippered totes, large shoulder bags and some de rigueur modern urban boots. A feminine touch was seen in the ruffled edge knitwear to soften the look. With its layering of voices, the soundtrack reminded audiences that French accents and style are fawned over in the city.

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Once the show was over, the party featured DJ sets from Honey Dijon and Rahill with a live performance from indie pop diva Caroline Polachek, who, wearing an all-red leather look from the fall collection, perfectly demonstrated the avant-garde side of the vixen.

The sounds and atmosphere of nightclubs are what people expect and look for in New York and had Vanhèe dancing up a storm with other Parisians, friends and models who walked in the show. To keep people hydrated and satiated there were several cocktail bars, a raw bar and Italian delicacies, courtesy of Carbone.

The space, which was located east of the trendy Dimes Square neighborhood on the East River, opened to a specially designed Hermès outdoor lounge where guests, including the VIP clientele attending the event, gathered in the lounge areas. booth seating, displaying her Hermès Birkin and Kelly bags. The location, overlooking the water toward Brooklyn, was blessed with perfect June afternoon weather, which almost encouraged lighting up a cigarette.

There is more of that in post-pandemic New York, which showed that the Big Apple also succumbs to Parisian customs.