There was lots to want, for Cyrus et al., in this collection, one of Vanhee’s most impactful in some time.
At a preview, the free-spirited French designer, who spent years at The Row before joining Hermès in 2014, spoke about the wide range of her inspirations while prancing barefoot in a makeshift showroom at a film studio complex in Culver City.
She said she loves LA, a city that inspired the pungent color palette in her lineup. “Los Angeles [has] this color that is unreachable in Europe,” she said: A sharp suit in bright red satin reminiscent of the interior decor in an old Hollywood home (earlier that day, I had visited the home of famed LA decorator Hutton Wilkinson, with its red satin pillows sitting on animal print furniture); an embroidered letterman’s jacket in a washed scarlet and a pastel yellow leather coat, both the kinds of bright hues made softer by the constant exposure to sun one spots around the city; an almost-black deep violet bomber jacket finished with speckles of glitter under a glossy sheen, “just like an LA sky,” Vanhee said.
Vanhee was a dancer when she was younger, which influenced the collection. (And Misty Copeland was one of the evening’s VIP guests.) “I’m showing you an already finished story,” Vanhee said, “which is the idea of a dancer coming out of rehearsal. She is walking down the street and wants to reach the ocean, therefore the idea of the horizon,” she said, before laughing at the mere idea of a preview like this one in which a designer is quizzed about her intentions: “I feel like I’m taking my A-levels,” she said.
She took the tucks and folds found in ballet pointe shoes and applied them to a foursome of strapless dresses. The fabrication and shape was reminiscent of old world French couture volumes. Vanhee is currently underway developing the first-ever couture collection for Hermès. When I pointed that out, she simply said, “ah, so you understand where we’re headed.” Coming soon: some more fodder for those fervent clients to jump at.
Vanhee said she had referenced the drape of a classic Hermès scarf for her billowing dresses. That instinct gave way to a collection that, once it ticked off the boxes of the standard Hermès-isms like some darker-toned leather separates and outerwear, felt light and at ease, with dresses and skirts that had Cyrus finger-clapping at every turn on the runway as she whispered to her stylist Bradley Kenneth. When she started mouthing the words of “Bette Davis Eyes” as it played in the finale, one could picture her singing it onstage wearing one of those sequined jumpsuits. The evident approval of the singer and actor, who I consider one of the most sincere and compelling exponents of Hollywood style, meant that Vanhee had captured the elusive essence of Los Angeles to great effect.
That very brand of easy glamour would sit right at home at the after party back at the hotel down the hill, where we arrived after lining up to ride another golf cart—walking was prohibited!
It was very Hermès affair that, rather than standing in a darkened room waiting for a good song to dance to, was a free-seating dinner with martinis and appetizers abound. It was the only instance in which Hermès bent the knee and leaned into some Americanisms: cheeseburger sliders, fries, and grilled cheese sandwiches proved worthy companions to the aforementioned Birkins.
