An Extremely Limited New Collection From Hermès Melds Modernity With Exquisite, Ancient Techniques

Some designers cling strictly to the calendar, releasing their collections in rigid sequence, but others have imaginations that cannot be tied down to a particular season. For Nadège Vanhée, the artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear at Hermès, this desire to break free, to throw out the old rules, has resulted in an exquisite, extremely limited edition (a mere 16 looks!) that she refers to as sleeping beauties—their formal name is Collection Hors-Série, Women’s 2023 Savoir-Faire Collection.

Each of these creations, from the embroidered ivory swing coat to the silk jacquard Spencer jacket to the micromini woven with ribbons, is made from fabrics left over from previous collections. You might call it deadstock, but of course the end of a bolt of Hermès cashmere is not exactly a prosaic remnant; a swath of organza that forms the basis of a guipure-lace dress is no ordinary love.

Vanhée didn’t just want to breathe new life into old materials; she was also determined to salt her work with ancient needlework techniques—intricate embroidery, lace making, weaving, beading, passementerie—crafts that still exist, though sometimes just barely, in ateliers hidden throughout France. The designs are a balancing act between old-world skill and contemporary fashion. “I find it quite playful,” Vanhée explains. “It’s crazy cool, but it’s also conservative.”

These clothes are the furthest thing from fast fashion and, confronted with both their uniqueness and their not-shy prices, you may find yourself wondering: What does the concept of value mean in these fraught times? If we are more and more attracted to the idea of buying less, doesn’t this also mean that when we do purchase something, we want it to be incredibly beautiful, ready to be in service for years to come and thus, perhaps most importantly, not adding to our overflowing landfill and doing more harm than good?

TRADITION, WITH A TWIST
Nadège Vanhée, artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear at Hermès, photographed by Inez & Vidoodh

For Vanhée, these questions are not merely academic. Though her designs are breathtakingly fastidious, she evinces a surprising enthusiasm for imperfection and for vintage finds—she laughs that she can always find something to do with a broken plate—so it is no surprise that she loves working with raffia and other natural elements notoriously difficult to control. And maybe this love of the one-off—no two smashed dishes or pom-poms are exactly alike—is what draws her to the spectacular array of  arcane techniques she embraces. Ask yourself: When was the last time you saw bigoudis, the decorative cords that reprise a technique from the 1850s and echo the way hair is wrapped around curlers (bigoudis) that Vanhée has replicated here with silk threads?

While these clothes are admittedly rarefied, Vanhée believes they represent a new kind of status symbol—one that whispers so quietly it can only be heard by those paying the most careful attention. “During the 20th century, you were dressing for your social status to be recognized,” she says, “but over the last 10 years, women began expressing their individuality more and more through their clothes.”