In the city that never sleeps, Hermès made Manhattan sit up and take notice with the second edition runway presentation of its fall-winter 2024 collection, which it presented inside the massive Pier 36 venue. Inside, the runway was lit with what resembled “slow down” yellow traffic lights, but the show kept up a steady pace of ensembles that offered a mélange of Parisian chic and NYC style for a lineup that didn’t hit a single road bump as it paid homage to the city’s abundant energy and unique sartorial point of view. 

Guests like Usher, Lily Allen, Jenny Slate and Tierra Whack, took in the show and watched as Nadège Vanhée, Hermès’ Artistic Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, presented vibrant and diverse designs that explored the ideas of traditions and culture. The collection, called Manhattan Rocabar, got its name, according to Hermès’ press release, from a striped horse rug – “a rug à barres, as a Scottish saddler once called it – it has settled, over the course of more than a century, into an iconic Hermès motif of vibrantly earthy tones.” This idea anchored the show and its earthy, rich colour palette.  Moreover, the designs are an ode to New York’s Lower East Side's iconic brick and stone façades, further highlighting the urban and contemporary side of fashion.

The fashion show began with an outfit bursting with autumnal colours and creativity, as the model showcased a ginger-yellow trench coat, a striped shirt inspired by Les Lettres équestres design, a cockade style undershirt, paired with vibrant vermillion pants, a cap in black hydro lambskin, and a pair of black cowboy boots. The striking look left a lasting impression and deftly conveyed Hermès’ intention of correlating this collection with New York’s melting pot of colours, textures, and savvy attitude. 

New York has always been an important and inspiring location for the fashion industry, and Hermès pays a deserving and worthy tribute to the state’s myriad of avenues of inspiration, from its history and architecture to its own connection to the equestrian world. Not to mention that Vanhée herself once called New York home.

Outfits in high-spirited shades of vermillion red, ginger yellow, and viridian green, proved Hermès’ skill at weaving together two different fashion narratives that seemed to pull together the best of both fashion capitals. Especially when it came to the outerwear. It was easy to imagine stylish women in any modern metropolis feeling extremely at ease in a black leather jacket or shearling coat with a bag slung over the shoulder or strapped around their waist, with some chunky statement jewellery and a mariner hat to finish of the “take no prisoners” ensembles.

“I’m walkin’ here!” is the famous line that Dustin Hoffman once hollered as he traversed New York City. With this collection that Vanhée designed for Hermès, there is no doubt that traffic will always come to a full stop.

hermès.com