“One of my favorite things of all time is my black alligator Hermes Kelly bag. I could never replace it,” says Carmen, who knows a thing or two about classics. The 67-year-old silver-haired model graced her first Vogue cover in the ’40s, at the dawn of fashion photography. And–like Hermes, which started as a saddle-making company–Carmen has managed to reinvent herself with each new decade, becoming a true fashion icon.
Who better then to test Hermes’ fall ready-to-wear line designed by fashion iconoclast Martin Margiela? The venerable French house, synonymous with equestrian-motif, hand-screened silk scarves and saddle-stitched leather handbags, hired the Belgian designer to pump some new blood into its clothing division. But many questioned whether the man who in the past designed an entire line based on doll patterns and garments stained with colored mold for an exhibit in a museum in Rotterdam was the right choice. Could Margiela, who drew inspiration for his last collection from shopping bags, pull off luxury goods and revive one of the most sought-after labels?
According to Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes, who has run Hermes for the last 11 years, Margiela was the only logical choice. What impressed the 66-year-old great-great-grandson of the founder of Hermes was Margiela’s tireless dedication to his craft, regardless of current whims. “Margiela is not just a designer of trends but a true creator,” said Hermes of the innovative 41-year-old designer, whose ideas are often copied years after the fact.
Unlike most designers who draw inspiration from pop culture or previous eras and cultures, Margiela is obsessed only with the details of dressmaking–construction, tailoring and assembly. (Who else would bother converting doll-size designs to a human scale or make a garment so sleek that it could be folded like a bag and still look good on the body?)
“Our decision to work with Hermes sprang from a shared fascination for quality,” Margiela explained. Credited with introducing the anti-glamor aesthetic (monochromatic, deconstructed clothes and an insistence on not plastering his name all over his garments), the designer stands for substance over style. It’s more important for him, he says, to come up with clothes that look good on and off the bod, than to appeal to current conventions.
And Margiela’s quirks betray his belief that clothes should be stripped of pomp and pretense and allowed to exist on their own terms–values that match Hermes’ conservative image. From his disdain for publicity (he never takes a bow at his shows, allows himself to be photographed or does in-person interviews) to his insistence that his employees wear a standard white lab coat as uniform, Margiela is a purist of the highest order.
Not surprisingly, then, he designed a line for Hermes that exuded understated elegance with easy-fit clothes and long, flowing silhouettes. Such toned-down, functional elements as oversized, reversible sweaters with detachable collars, removable linings, coats that double as capes, wide pants and deep-V tunics in charcoal gray, beige, glazed browns and black are distinctly Margiela.
The materials–the finest cashmere, silk, lambskin, shearling, deerskin and natural camel–are typical of Hermes. Perhaps Margiela’s most innovative item is the rainproof veil with side pockets that can be worn over a coat. His most ingenious detail is the hand-rolled sleeve on his shirts and tunics, which resembles the edges of a scarf–a nod to the Hermes staple. Another nice touch was substituting the famed orange Hermes logo for a discreet “H” stitched in the center of the buttons, resembling his own subtle style of branding.
After slipping into half a dozen outfits, Carmen has reached a verdict. “These are clothes designed for real women, young to old–and not for children,” says the veteran model. “They have the look of an elegant lady and I love them.”
In the fickle and fast-changing world of fashion, it’s good to know classics still exist.
