Hermès’ equestrian background usually evokes images of posh bourgeois girls bedecked in English style tack on a casual ride in the country or in a barrel-racing competition. This season, Christophe Lemaire decided to take the delicacy out of the message by showing an equestrian theme that contained a distinctly vaqueros vibe. Lemaire reworks Hermès’ luxury into a series of gaucho garb, Old West riding gear, and Indiana Jones style jackets and fedoras. The feeling of movement, travel, and adventure that the hardy clothes from the Hermes runway provide is inescapable. The first look says it all – campfires, horse training, lassoing. A pair of slouchy leather pants that ballooned through the leg are bunched at the ankle when tucked into a pair of boots. Then, it’s all covered up by a huge gray blanket-cape. Masculine trenches, dusters, long leather ponchos, and sheepskin vests keep the rogue cowboy theme going. The folds and pleats of the outerwear look like they might be hiding a sharpshooter’s single action revolver. From this hard-bitten background emerge a few feminine looks, like a full leather long-sleeved dress. The show closes with a smattering of brightly colored peasant prints that keep the collection from being strictly androgynous. All that’s missing from this show is the blood, sweat, and dust of a real gaucho.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway