From the first look in Christopher Lemaire's S/S13 collection, it was clear that the Hermès woman would be taking an exotic and luxurious trip this season...
From the first look in Christopher Lemaire's S/S13 collection, it was clear that the Hermès woman would be taking an exotic and luxurious trip this season.
The most iconic symbol of a far-away place, the palm tree, featured in the collection's striking prints. In historical times, the palm has been a symbol of victory, peace, and fertility, yet here, its role was almost certainly a nod to the tropical. Prints created by the house's artisans were made into silk T-shirts and fluid shorts. The prints also took their lead from mosiac tiles which are often associated with journeys from our urban envirnoments.
It's a holiday look most of us would gladly adopt. Clashing prints; a vibrant palette inspired by the work of Joseph Albers; clever oversized leather pockets (a modern fanny pack?); folded clutches, and a leather trimmed 'anorak' for those night exursions.
"From the first look, it was clear that the Hermès woman would be taking an exotic and luxurious trip this season."
Along with silk, leather is at the heart of the French fashion house. This season, leather came in the form of upper body straps; part of the illicit sexual thread running through the collection. Of course, the Hermès woman handles it with care; a case of less is more when it comes to aesthetics. Here, it's subtle, it's luxurious, it's appealing. A butter soft 'harness' worn over a matching dress; narrow leather braces; leather wristlets; the trench coat – all forming a spirit that pays homage to Charlotte Rampling's iconic look in the Night Porter.
Laura Bradley is the Commissioning Editor of AnOther and published her first series of Fashion Equations in May 2008. Tom Baxter is an illustrator currently living and working in London.
