The third time was the charm for Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski at Hermes today. After two seasons of such quiet, contemplative luxury that the clothing was almost slumberous in the shows, the creative director finally found her groove at the prestigious house. This collection had the newfound energy of a designer willing to put herself out there — if ever so slightly.
The audience, lulled by good champagne and almost a month of non-stop fashion shows, sat up straight in their seats as soon as the first look appeared out of the sunset gold box backdrop. It was a stiff, boxy, brass yellow ensemble crafted from cotton and silk satin, completely embroidered with the finest of lines, almost as if a comb had been run across the fabric to leave a delicate graphic shadow. It was unusual and very interesting.
Here was something unexpected and fresh, reminiscent of the good old days when Martin Margiela had the head design duties at the house. It made some sense considering Vanhee-Cybulski spent some of her formative years working at his signature label. There was that same mix of quiet grace and subtle intrigue in this collection. Just the clever way she embedded the brand’s iconic silk scarves in a bell curve wave across the front of a cashmere and mohair knit sweater or how she used a tone-on-tone bandana motif silk jacquard set diagonally across half of a long-sleeved, fitted double-face silk knit gown instantly made both pieces look sporty and sophisticated with a youthful élan.
