Paris Fashion Week: At Hermes, the calm after the storm

Reporting from Paris —  The final collection Christophe Lemaire presented for Hermès on Wednesday afternoon at Paris Fashion Week, before he heads off to focus on his own namesake label, was the perfect reminder of why he’s been such a steadying force for the luxury powerhouse.

The last show of the season, it was held in the usual greenhouse space at the Luxembourg Gardens. But this time, out went the jungle of leafy greenery, and in came a Zen sand garden.

With the absence of an elaborate set, save for the sandy floor, it was as if Lemaire was cleaning up his things before he left. And the lack of distractions wasn’t unwelcome.

Warm, golden light blazed the trail for a collection that was clean and serene, beginning with loose-fitting cream-colored tunic dresses, rope-tied jackets and wide legged trousers. When color came into play, it was warm, and organic-feeling—a saffron yellow oversized sweater, for example, or a deep pomegranate red abstract floral tent dress.

There were moments of obvious luxury (crocodile shorts!) and less-obvious luxury (the perfectly-designed, streamlined pair of loafers.)

But the beauty was in what was not there, and that’s a whole lot of extraneous stuff. It suited the Hermès ethos to a T.

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