A gentle storm outside Hermès this morning at the Garde Républicaine in Paris made the rain indoors over the runway even more relevant than creative director Nadège Vanhee could have imagined. Much like on film sets, an elaborate sprinkler system doused the runway with sheets of rain. As wind and rainswept models passed through security, some strolled alongside horses trotting in the downpour—it’s the equestrian training center for the French Republican Guard after all!
Inside the backstage tents there was a surprising edge to the fall 2024 collection. Rather than the soft earth tones of last season, this collection paired studded black leather and moto boots with beauty looks that included chunky red eyelashes and sweptback wet hair.
“She’s this woman with all the equipment that she needs for a rainy day on her bike—or her horse,” said Gregoris Pyrpylis, creative director of Hermès Beauty, who noted that the “wilder side” seen in the makeup is grounded in the French house’s modern codes: “She’s always elegant, but she can also have a more rebellious sexiness. She’s still a horse girl, but who can also ride her motorbike nowadays, right?” His interpretation does feel very now, and instead of “falling into the stereotypical biker with a grungy eye or a smoky eye,” he wanted a piercing gaze with a sense of playfulness. It’s a “kind of messed-up lash” layered with a few coats of Trait d’Hermès Revitalizing Care Mascara in Rouge H, the house’s heritage cherry-burgundy shade. “The idea is to really overcharge the lashes,” he said. “The more you put on, it looks more red.”
When I asked what he thinks of the red revival happening on runways, and why he chose the color, he called out its associations with passion, love, fire, and femininity. “We went through a long time where nude, nude, nude was kind of everywhere,” said Pyrpylis. “But this is a new way of embracing color again. Maybe it’s not natural, but it’s realistic.” He balanced the moment with clear swipes of Rouge Hermès Lip Care Balm and a sparkly, sheer shade of Rouge Hermès (slated to launch in September) on the eyelids, lips, and cheeks to create a “glossy, sexy result” that reads like “a fresh halo” on the face.
Even the hair is supposed to feel like something you’d really wear, according to hairstylist Gary Gill. “It’s going to be raining on the side of the runway—there’ll be a feeling that they’ve just come out of the rain, kind of like you get soaked and you push your hair back with your hands,” he said of layering Wella EIMI Sugar Lift and Bed Head by Tigi Superstar Queen for a Day Thickening Spray into hair to make the finger marks really show. He identifies with this new biker aesthetic too, and ideated the look on model Edie Campbell in the teaser released of today’s runway. Outside the tents, on her way to hair and makeup and slightly soaked by the storm, Campbell looked a lot like the inspiration (and admitted she’s still more of a horse girl than a biker). Still, it does reflect her personal style.
“It’s not about creating an ideal world, it’s all about reflecting reality,” said Pyrpylis. “It was important to have these girls looking their best with a hint of fantasy—which is in the deepest core of the house of Hermès.”