Creative director Nadège Vanhee‑Cybulski created a “liminal realm” for the house’s dynamic and sensual “Nocturnal Creatures” collection.
Since its inception in 1837, Hermés has always been the epitome of “quiet luxury.” The French powerhouse embodies this aesthetic, which prioritizes timeless elegance rather than fast fashion trends, not only in the limited production of its bags but also in its runway shows. From the store to the stage, Hermés has been highly luxurious but never loud.
For Fall/Winter 2026, creative director Nadège Vanhee‑Cybulski is shaking things up a bit with a Paris Fashion Week show that you can feel as much as you can see. It still stands far from the shows that rely on shock value or viral outfits. Instead, Vanhee steered the house toward a moodier, more enigmatic territory, where Hermès’ signature rigor blends seamlessly with femininity, sensuality, and the mystery of “a liminal realm.”
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It was a show built on mood and atmosphere that seemed to linger in the final glow of twilight. Hermés drew from this dramatic moment between dusk and dawn because it is when “perception heightens and senses sharpen. A sculpted silhouette emerges between shadows and light. Color turns nocturnal. Life is distilled to its essence.”
Guests who watched Hermés’ March 7 show entered the house’s own enchanted forest built inside the historic Garde Républicaine (the barracks of the French Republican Guard). Here, Vanhee designed a winding runway that cut through a landscape of soft moss and dense greenery. She bathed it in blue twilight, which made up for the show’s dusky and sensual mood.
Models streamed from the twisty catwalk, showcasing the collection Vanhee dubbed “Nocturnal Creatures.” The dynamic wardrobe uses the Italian art technique “chiaroscuro,” which is commonly used in paintings, drawings, and photography.
With this technique, “materials are transformed by light,” the house wrote on the show notes. Garments unveil their lines as their colors—deep blacks, earthy browns, mossy greens, and flashes of yellows—are “revealed, from the warm hues of the final rays of sun to the glints of moonlight.”
The collection abounded with pieces meant for an evening of outdoor exploration. There were head-to-toe leather dresses, military-style multi-pocket jackets, leather biker shorts, and salopettes for those who might want to trek on a mountainside à la Hermės.
These were followed by quilted skirts rendered in rich blood-red tones and plenty of A-line shapes in leather miniskirts paired with shirts, ties and sweaters, as well as short dresses with zip fronts and layered over turtlenecks or tops with pointy collars.
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Hermès’ equestrian heritage remained at the heart of the collection. It was revealed in sharply tailored coats cinched with chain belts and thigh-high riding boots designed for the saddle. Vanhée matched them with Cossack hats and thigh-high boots with flat heels that were made for walking.
Coats that were built for protection were elevated with furs around the neck or collars that transform into hoods. Quilted jackets were given a rebellious edge with motorcycle padding on the shoulders. Zippers cut through the lineup, transforming silhouettes and introducing flashes of unexpected function.
Of course, no Hermès runway would be complete without its storied handbags. The show also teased the next generation of reworked Birkin and Kelly bags that drifted with the rest of the collection through the moonlit landscape.
Vanhée said the idea for all these stems from her desire to weave “poetry with practicality” and dress women who can “take control, walk in the night and chart new territory.”
Watch the Hermés Fall 2026 show below:
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