You can call this The “Hairmès” Collection.
For Autumn/Winter 23, creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski explores our relationship with our hair. Was she inspired to do so because she had progressively cut her own fiery red locks to the chic bob that she wears now? One thing’s for sure, her sartorial study goes beyond the models’ hair in the runway show, styled with the cool insouciance of a French woman.
Hair is about identity, she sums up, pointing out that historically, hair symbolises power, seduction and magic – exceptional qualities she now cleverly channels into the Hermès Women’s collection.
Her concept starts with colour. The collection’s magnificent spectrum of hues is derived from natural hair colours, some of which appear to glisten as though they are coated in luxurious oils.
The idea of hair was further expanded through imaginative manipulation of textiles. Vanhee-Cybulski thought of how a woman might play with her locks. In a simulation of braids, intricate cashmere and silk knits are elevated with lambskin cables laced through the weave. When wrapped around the chest, these chunky scarves bring hair buns to mind, just as scarves integrated into jackets evoke flowing tresses.
While sleek dresses in plissé hammered metallic silk resemble the glossy strands of a salon-fresh hairdo, knits embroidered with shimmering metal bugle beads mimic elaborate hair weaves. Strings or belts with the distinctive Hermès’ turn locks secure certain pieces, an allusion to how women would tie their hair.
To recreate the maison’s noble textiles in fiber, Vanhee-Cybulski even sent hair samples to fashion mills to replicate the complex structures of the cashmere fibers the influence the drape.
Still, Hermès’ emblematic equestrian spirit is omnipresent.
Subtle expressions of a ponytail punctuate the collection, either by way of gathering excess fabric at the back, or extending scarves so that the extra length can be draped over the shoulder or twisted around the body and loosely knotted.
As seen on several looks topped with riding caps in silk, equestrian touches are just the artisanal accents to inject sophistication into the accessories, such as the fringe on one Birkin or the harness that’s strapped on another. Another take is the striking ring of horsehair shaped by a master wigmaker to wrap the mini Médor Crin bucket bag this season.
“I think this collection is more introverted. It’s winter; you want to be wrapped up in your coat and autumn colours,” Vanhee-Cybulski told journalists backstage after the show. “The idea came from taking the stereotypes of a wardrobe such as a blanket coat and integrating knitwear that wraps around you.”
