Hermès
THE TRIUMPHS
- Exceptional craftsmanship and material control, expanding Hermès beyond its foundational leather and silk vocabulary into sophisticated satin, velvet, knitwear and highly constructed dressmaking
- Beautiful translation of ballet into construction rather than costume, with gathers, piped seams and controlled volumes referencing the precision and movement of pointe shoes
- Masterful use of color as an organizing language, allowing yellows, blues, reds and saturated accents to define distinct emotional groups while preserving the disciplined identity of Hermès
- Remarkable balance between freedom and precision, introducing fluid dresses, coquettish skirt suits and rebellious leather pieces without sacrificing the exacting standards of the house
- Convincing evolution of Hermès toward a more expressive, almost couture-level fashion proposition while retaining exceptional wearability and material integrity
RESERVATIONS
- The collection’s expansion toward a more overtly couture-oriented vocabulary occasionally moves Hermès away from the radical simplicity that gives some of its most iconic pieces their extraordinary longevity
Hermès Fall Winter 2026-2027, the Second Chapter – Resort in Los Angeles. Story by Kate granger, Editor of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo/Video Courtesy: Hermès.
Ah, Los Angeles. The precipice of the Pacific, the far-left edge of the continent, and the perennial land of reinvention. It is a tired cliché that one goes to California to find endless possibilities, but when a 189-year-old Parisian luxury house makes the trek, the cliché suddenly wears excellent tailoring.
High in the hills of Bel Air, Hermès unveiled the “second chapter” of its Fall-Winter 2026 collection. The resort show—poetically dubbed “Silhouettes on the Horizon”—required a custom-built, pale yellow runway erected over an open lot above the Hotel Bel Air. Reaching this aerie required a steep ride in a golf cart. One can only imagine the front row, which included Miley Cyrus, Kerry Washington, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, waiting in line for their post-show transport back down to reality.
But logistics aside, the collection itself was a triumph of liberation. Designer Nadège Vanhée delivered a much-needed departure from the somewhat confined, body-con stretch leather shapes of recent seasons. Here, dressmaking met dance. Vanhée drew upon her own childhood fixation on ballet, intertwining the strict, perfected gestures of the artisan with the fluid choreography of the dancer.
The runway offered a masterclass in narrative design. Satin dresses featured gathers and piped seams that deliberately echoed the meticulous construction of pointe shoes. Long, languid velvet dresses dripping with 1930s Hollywood glamour walked alongside spangled knit onesies in pale yellow and bright turquoise. And for the inevitable extrovert, tooled and studded leather biker jackets brought a welcome, rebellious edge.
There is a whispering among acute observers that we are witnessing the prelude to a Hermès haute couture line. Sitting 5,600 miles away from the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, this collection felt like a remarkably successful trial run. Vanhée pushed far beyond the foundational silks and leathers of the house, venturing into nips, tucks, and coquettish skirt suits that demand exceptional, couture-level craftsmanship.
As a Frederic Sanchez remix of Kim Carnes’s “Bette Davis Eyes” closed the show—prompting Miley Cyrus to sing and dance from the front row—one thing was abundantly clear: this is the freest Hermès has looked in a long time. It turns out a little California air is exactly what the atelier ordered.
Key Takeaways
- Hermès Fall Winter 2026-2027, the Second Chapter Resort showcased in Los Angeles featured a custom-built runway with a star-studded front row.
- Designer Nadège Vanhée introduced a liberated collection that contrasted recent body-con styles with ballet-inspired designs.
- The runway displayed a mix of satin dresses and glamorous velvet pieces, emphasizing narrative design and craftsmanship.
- Observers speculate this collection may lead to a Hermès haute couture line, showcasing innovative techniques and styles.
- The show concluded with a lively remix, highlighting the energetic spirit in this refreshing chapter for Hermès.
See All Looks Hermès Fall Winter 2026-2027, the Second Chapter – Resort
