Hermès Channels Twilight Romance

The collection's title, "Entre chien et loup," is a French expression for dusk, that liminal moment when it's difficult to distinguish a dog from a wolf. Creative director Nadège Vanhée used this concept to explore clothes that are both protective and subtly sensual, invoking Hecate, the Greek goddess of darkness and crossroads. Since her appointment in 2014, Vanhée has steadily steered the women's ready-to-wear collections with a focus on enduring luxury over fleeting trends. Her approach balances the house's deep-rooted heritage with a contemporary feel, evident in the mix of supple leather jackets and soft cashmere knits that have become her signature. The show was staged at the Garde Républicaine, the barracks of Paris's mounted police, a venue choice that reinforces the brand's equestrian origins. The set itself was transformed into a forest floor, carpeted with real moss that filled the air with an earthy scent, enhancing the twilight theme. Leather, the material upon which Thierry Hermès founded the company in 1837 as a harness workshop, was the collection's dominant texture. It appeared in various forms, from fluid overcoats with large sheepskin collars to an ostrich-leather jumpsuit and glossy lambskin cycling shorts, pushing the house's equestrian codes into a more urban territory. The color palette moved beyond a simple black, featuring shades of sulfur yellow, oxblood red, forest green, and iridescent burgundy. Zippers were a prominent detail, used both functionally and decoratively to suggest that garments could be reconfigured, slicing diagonally across jackets and running the full length of dresses.