Nadège Vanhée wanted to explore those brief moments between day and night, when shadows form, colors change and things are not what they seem.
That’s why she created a maze of a runway twisting through a landscape of soft moss and green undergrowth and recreated a dark blue sky inside the vast building belonging to the Garde Républicaine, the French army division that protects the president and government.
Models streamed out of the backstage and around the twisty catwalk wearing sporty clothing meant for an evening of outdoor exploration. There were military-style four pocket jackets and coats in soft leather, salopettes for those who might be trekking on a mountainside and jodhpurs, because they’re a Hermès signature.
Whether they came in cloth or leather, coats were built for protection with fur around the neck, collars that zipped into hoods, and quilted jackets, some with motorcycle padding on the shoulders.
Vanhée paired many of them with black Cossack hats and thigh-high boots with flat heels that were made for walking (although probably not mountain hiking). The designer said she wanted to fuse “poetry with practicality” and dress strong women who can “take control, walk in the night and chart new territory.”
The collection was also filled with 1960s colors and shapes that telegraphed a similar sense of freedom.
There were many A-line shapes here – leather miniskirts with collegiate flair, paired with shirts, ties and sweaters, and short dresses with zip fronts that were layered over turtlenecks or tops with pointy collars. Vanhée paired them with colored tights in dark green, corn yellow and burgundy, a further nod to the decade of the youthquake.
She had even more fun with color, adding a blue fur collar to a big, printed silk scarf for a makeshift cape – it gets chilly in the twilight – and whipping up a short shearling jacket the color of lemon meringue pie. It was bright enough to light up the dark, and hail the arrival of the sun.
