Fashion

Against Shanghai’s Blade Runner-esque skyline, Nadège Vanhée staged the second act of her Hermès A/W 2025 womenswear collection—an ode to the modern nomad, sculpted in leather, silk, and eclecticism.

A year after debuting “The Second Chapter” in New York, the artistic director transplanted her vision to the Huangpu River, where a modular, ephemeral pavilion framed the city’s neon glow behind towering shutters. The effect was deliberate – a theatrical reveal of a collection as dynamic as the metropolis itself.

Vanhée’s protagonist is a woman in motion—resilient, sculptural, unapologetically sensual. In Paris, she strode down a dirt-strewn spiral runway, embodying rugged independence. In Shanghai, she evolved into a cosmopolitan explorer, her layers stacked with the pragmatic poetry of travel: water bottles slung on leather straps, sweaters knotted at the waist, bags cross-body like urban armor. The styling pulsed with wit—a glittering boot refracting city lights, headphones hinting at a post-show escape—while hybrid garments, adjustable at the sleeve or seam, whispered of adaptability.

Here are our favorite looks at details from the Hermès show

Central to the narrative was the braid, lifted from Hermès’ equestrian roots and Virginie Jamin’s Dressage Tressage scarf. It twisted through coats and linings, a metaphor for Vanhée’s design ethos: the slow, deliberate weaving of cultural threads. Here, Parisian rigor met Shanghai’s frenetic hybridity, resulting in bold prints, modular silhouettes, and a tension between intellect and play.

As the pavilion morphed into a party venue—mirroring New York’s all-night energy—the collection’s thesis crystallized: Hermès’ woman is no longer defined by a single city. She is a citizen of the world, her wardrobe a testament to Vanhée’s exacting craftsmanship and nomadic spirit. The second chapter, it seems, is boundless.

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Images & Feature Image: Supplied