Hermès and Vivienne Westwood present their collections in Paris

The breeze slips between the skin and the material. A hem rises, a sleeve swells, a slit appears while each garment gently comes to life: as if in weightlessness, writes Nadège Vanhée, who has headed Hermès women's fashion since 2014, in her note of intent. Omnipresent, the zipper modulates the length of a skirt, runs over leather jackets or along flared blue pants. It gives the collection an air that is both sensual and technical. An ensemble composed of a belted brown jacket and an adjustable-length silk-faille skirt, or a godet dress in white silk mesh, sits next to sunset orange silhouettes. On Saturday, in the courtyard of the Republican Guard in Paris, the Hermès collection took its place.

Founded in 1837 and originally a harness and saddle maker, the house, still controlled by the family, visits the stables of the last cavalry of the Republic every season. For an afternoon, police and soldiers rub shoulders, in an explosive mix, with the brand's richest and most loyal customers, coming from the four corners of the world.

The manufacturer of the famous Kelly bag, which generates almost half of its sales in leather goods and saddlery, is also going through a zone of turbulence, even if it is holding up better than the rest of the sector. On July 29, the group which embodies French ultra-luxury saw its share price fall by up to 11% during the session, the day of the publication of its nevertheless solid half-year results. Since then, several banks have lowered their price targets, citing persistent weakness in demand in China, long one of the most dynamic luxury markets. The stock has lost nearly 39% since January 1. The house will publish its third quarter sales figures on October 22, and the fashion show must maintain its aura between now and then.

Nadège Vanhée's first haute couture collection will be presented in January during Paris Couture Week. At the same time, the British Grace Wales Bonner will make her catwalk debut as artistic director of men's fashion. She succeeds Véronique Nichanian, who left the house in January after 37 years.

Punk chaos

At the other end of the fashion spectrum, independent house Vivienne Westwood offered up a joyous punk chaos of prints and checks on Saturday, inspired by designer Andreas Kronthaler's recent shopping sprees and his taste for pajamas and nightgowns.

The overwhelming heat of the summer of 2026, the hottest ever measured in France, gave the Austrian designer, widower of Vivienne Westwood, the habit of going out into the street in a nightgown. I lived in it, I went cycling, shopping, etc. And people really liked it, he told AFP. And I said to myself that it was good, my life shirt.

While the Pride march was in full swing in the capital the same day, the spring-summer women's ready-to-wear show blurred the boundaries between genders, with as many male as female models on the catwalk. I don't see any difference in anything, he explained. I am 51% male and 49% female.

Andreas Kronthaler worked alongside Vivienne Westwood from the late 1980s until the designer's death in December 2022. The house, with its irreverent spirit, is one of the last to operate entirely independently. There are good sides to this, and of course difficult sides. But it's okay. We are living in a very precarious moment, because nothing is really guaranteed in fashion, he stressed.