By The Fashion Editorial Team
Shanghai’s North Bund Bay shimmered in the glow of Hermès signature orange as the French house unveiled Chapter Two of its Fall/Winter 2025 collection. Envisioned as a kinetic conversation between cultures, craftsmanship, the city’s futuristic skyline became the quintessential backdrop. A modular glowing pavilion gracefully revealed the heroine evolved: no longer confined to free-spirited Parisian flair but reimagined as a fearless cosmopolitan explorer, prepared to gallop into the great unknown.
From Saddle to Skyline
What made this show remarkable is that it was only the second time in Hermès’ 188-year history that a women’s collection debuted outside of France. Artistic Director Nadège Vanhée envisioned her protagonist as a multidimensional force; ambitious, intuitive, always in motion with an unbreakable spirit stitched into every seam of the collection.
This chapter marked a shift from leather-centric artistry to modular utility. Continuing the exceptional outerwear line as seen in recent seasons from Vanhée, outerwear once again led the charge: double-faced cashmere coats with detachable linings, shearling jackets that reversed or unzipped into cropped silhouettes, and puffers with equestrian-inspired braided leather collars. In this collection, luxury is imbued not only with exceptional materials but in meaning. "It has the idea of being with you all along,” Vanhée recounted to WWD.
“The modularity is also a way to express your creativity... You have so many different interfaces with the look, given the context, you can definitely wear it as four or five different looks. You want to look cool in a goth party, you got it; you need to go to the golf club, you got it, this is like the four-by-four coat,” Vanhée added.
Styling complimented this sense of dramatic readiness. Sweaters were slung at the waist like handkerchief-hemmed skirts, silk scarves, bearing the Dressage Tressage graphic — transformed into bandeaus or ear-warmers, looped through earrings or layered over shirts, while leather riding gloves are transformed into versatile gladiator-like silhouettes. Mini Kellys were worn tactically: strapped crossbody, hung behind the back, slung across the chest. There was nothing precious about these silhouettes. They moved with purpose: lean, fluid, and tough.
The palette was rooted in autumn: fiery orange, clay white, burgundy, and inky blue, grounded with flashes of metallic and anchored by brogue boots or dazzling riding boots that reflected the city lights like armor; long gone are the days of cocooning and athleisure. Fashionable and delivered with an elevated readiness; fashion for the predictable woman stepping into an unpredictable world and never missing a beat.
The Braid As A Metaphor
Inspired by the equestrian plaits of the Dressage Tressage silk carré by Virginie Jamin, the braid became a symbol of continuity and cultural weave: European craftsmanship in dialogue with Asian innovation. You could see it in the texture of knits, the twists of scarves, the models’ hair; braided, coiled, styled like the manes of competition horses. This was Hermès at its most poetic, connecting artisans in Paris with a dreamy installation by Chinese ink-wash artist Zeng Jianyong within the Hermès Maison Shanghai — a cultural braid, thoughtfully knotted.
A Moment in Motion
Despite global economic uncertainty, Hermès didn’t retreat. It expanded its horizons with experimentation during a sojourn to Shanghai. It's no wonder why the guest list spanned continents: from Chinese cinema stars like Zhang Ruonan and Carina Lau to Olympic legends, global media, and The White Lotus' Leslie Bibb. Over 800 guests watched as fashion met futurism as the space transformed into a riverfront afterparty, soundtracked by a surprise performance by musician, St. Vincent. However, beneath the spectacle, the message was subtle yet urgent: the world may be shifting, but timelessness is, above all, found in adaptability. The Hermès woman never slows down, she evolves.
What began in Paris as a whisper of freedom arrived in Shanghai as a declaration of power. In Chapter Two, Vanhée presented not only a collection but a way forward in fashion that travels, transforms, and speaks the vernacular of the world it inhabits. The Hermès woman isn’t only defined by where she’s been but where she's going.
Images: Filippo Fior / Mengxiang Wang / Courtesy of Hermès