First, there was the ascent. Individual black SUVs collected guests and delivered them 900 winding feet above sea level into the Santa Monica Mountains, to a canyon-vista hilltop beside the Getty Museum. The setting — classical columns, grand scale — looked vaguely like the Parthenon. Large letters announced the show’s title: “Silhouettes on the Horizon.” Inside, artistic director Nadège Vanhée was about to unveil her Women Fall-Winter 2026 Second Chapter (the first having debuted in Paris back in March).
Outside those towering columns, the crowd itself was a fashion show. This wasn’t L.A.’s usual front-row set: these were young, Hermès-devoted female customers, decked out in the brand’s signature silk scarf-print coats, perforated leather dresses, leather shorts with matching jackets, and Hermès riding boots paired with everything. And a literal wealth of Kelly bags. Birkins, apparently, have been banished to the back of the closet. Mini Kellys, in every size and color, wrapped with classic Hermès scarves — some barely big enough for a lipstick — were out in droves. Several guests had mini Kelly charms dangling from their mini Kellys: Kelly à deux. A big-money crowd with a low-key attitude.
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British, French and New York editors mingled with Hollywood stylists — Jeanne Yang among them — while a handful of celebrities (a rare sighting for Hermès, which almost never dresses them) joined the pre-show scene: Kerry Washington, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Miley Cyrus, Natasha Lyonne and Keke Palmer (in a red bra top with matching jeans), the whole group cornered by none other than Hollywood reality-show elder stateswoman Kathy Hilton. Lyonne, bopping around in a leather corset and jeans, laughed: “I never dressed like this in New York back in the day!” Miley made Hermès pure Miley in a sleeveless leather mini and heeled high boots, flanked by fiancé Maxx Morando, drummer for Liily — pure punk rock.
When the show began, planned golden-hour light enhanced Hermès’ signature luxe fabrics: soft leathers, suedes, silks and chiffon, every look head-to-toe monochrome — black, brown, poppy red, and the shock of very California colors, buttery yellow and aqua blue. A strapless yellow dress with an egg-shaped skirt, matched with suede riding boots? It sounds unlikely. It looked incredible. Supermodel Karen Elson, the redhead who has been absent from runways for years, wore a version in fire red. Black leather harnesses as bra tops, paired with long flowing sheer chiffon skirts and boots, pushed a posh-punk vibe.
In her program notes, Vanhée described the tough-tender combination as “the interplay of tension and release” — extending Hermès’ savoir faire beyond its leather-and-silk heritage into flou (fashion-speak for flowy). There were chic leather suits, fitted leather jackets with midi skirts, leather shorts, and plenty of dancer-inspired looks. But styled with simple hair and makeup, these clothes would be as appropriate on L.A. club-kid influencers as on Park Avenue matrons. Highbrow Topanga Canyon hippie seemed as much an inspiration as French chic.
For her post-runway walk, Vanhée didn’t retreat quickly the way a tepid Jonathan Anderson did a few weeks ago at Dior. Her curly red hair bouncing, she jogged the entire length of the winding runway, defying the tradition of Euro-hauteur designer retreats.
Then the crowd descended, and found itself in a far more familiar Los Angeles scenario: SUVs trying to crawl back down the hill blocked the narrow roads, turning what should have been a smooth exit into a grumpy, hour-long wait — two hours for some. You expect gridlock after the Golden Globes, not after a Hermès spectacle.
Oh, well. It only added to the feeling that Hermès is getting more comfortable with the Left Coast — and that Hollywood is embracing the brand’s suddenly edgy new vibe. If you spot flat riding boots paired with leather shorts at this summer’s cocktail parties, at the Hollywood Bowl, or on Taylor Swift, just don’t be surprised.
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