Collection SS2010: Les Dix Cavaliers

An old legend tells the story of this horseman, riding endlessly across the vast world, never dismounting. Feeding only on the infinite spectacle of the thousand and one countries crossed, he meets nine other solitary horsemen in succession, arriving from every corner of the universe. Then, as if by magic, the ten riders get together and join up to form one single horseman, the carrier of all the legends. Brimming with all their knowledge, this rider continues to traverse the world, until the end of time. To illustrate this encounter, the design of the carre Les Dix Cavaliers has been divided into ten bands, each dedicated to one of the horsemen.

The pattern is reminiscent of the “Le monde est vaste” pattern of last year’s collection, in both concept and realization – with the original canvas “sliced up” and the stripes put back together in an apparent random fashion. Unlike the previous pattern, however, where the softer colours rendered the colour combinations harmonious, the horizontal stripes make this design appear fairly busy, thereby inducing a certain tension in the overall scarf. It definitely requires a strong personality to sport it, as the colours on their own – and the contrasting colour combinations are fairly strong.

Collection SS2010: Tours de Clés

This scarf is a reinterpretation of the the "Keys" design so successful, so popular and so beloved in the House's collection.  I consider the colour combinations unconventional in that they manage to be interesting without necessarily being top-of-mind when one thinks of combining some colours.  The circle motif, adopted as the background of this scarf, brings a certain energy into a pattern, yet another element that contributes to the contemporary effect of this design.

Collection FW2009: Kelly en Calèche

This scarf is a tribute to the revered Kelly bag - so named after the former American actress Grace Kelly who used one such bag to shield her pregnancy - with the future Princess Caroline - from the prying eyes of the paparazzi; although launched in the 1930's, it was this 1956 event, photographed and wildly publicized, that brought this timeless handbag into the light and granted the design its iconic status (Stephanie Henderson, in her book entitled "Handbags, What Every Woman Should Know" indicated that the newly married and shy Princess, when faced with a pack of noisy photographers and not yet willing to announce her pregnancy to the world, did what every woman would do - hide her secret in her handbag !).

The design cleverly depicts three of the iconic elements that the Maison has been associated with throughout the years - all part of its creations: the carriage (or calash), reminiscent of the Maison's fonding years and having become emblematic of its roots and part of the Maison's logo, the Kelly handbag and the locks meant to seal one's objects inside the handbag. Issued in 2007 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Hermes carre, this design was released - symbolically - on a 70x70cm scarf. Its unimaginable popularity and success has been reflected in consequent reissues, as a twilly, cashmere and silk (depicted above) and, most recently (2010), in cotton.

This pattern is superb, many admirers choosing to frame the scarf so as to admire its splendour with every passing by (see below).

If you feel compelled to wear a piece of art, the scarf ties absolutely magnificently - pure magic !

Collection FW2009: Le Monde Est Vaste

An interesting design of the Fall/Winter 2009 collection, "Le monde est vaste" ("the world is vast") plays on the world map by dividing the picture into stripes and interchanging them so as to create a sense of motion, or perhaps adventure. The idea behind this design is to have a tool that helps you get lost into the world, rather than find your way.  A sure element of appeal to those romantic dreamers among us.

A very creative design, which looks great when worn. This particular colour combination is also mesmerizing !

Collection SS2009: Pierre Loti ou l'âme voyageuse

This scarf has been issued as part of the "grand voyages" theme, as a tribute to the French novelist and naval officer Julien Viaud, who rose to fame under his literary pseudonym Pierre Loti (one story tells of his remarkable shyness, which made his companions compare him to the Lotus flower - "le loti" - from where his nickname was derived). Pierre Loti has become synonymous with great adventures and the liberal spirit of pioneers.

"Pierre Loti ou l'âme voyageuse" ("Pierre Loti or the traveller's spirit") is conceived as a collage of images depicting various scenes from the hero's life around the world - reminiscent of flashback memories - this design reunites the many lives and facets of the Frenchman: the young army recruit, the proud French Camel Corps soldier, the naval officer, the Turkish dandy and the eccentric Orientalist, to name a select few. Thanks to this innovative approach, this carre becomes a genuine exotic travel diary, recounting stories and giving wings to the readers.

What captivated me about this scarf was not only the novel design of collage, but also the traveling and adventure themes, intrinsic in the pattern. I, too, grow wings with every thought of a voyage and while my forays into the unknown have not been as diverse or as rich as Pierre Loti's, I pride myself for having experienced countless cultures in some 18 countries on four continents and in this respect, I very much identified with this adventurers. Another very powerful aspect that resonated with me was the many lives and facets that make up an individual. I, too, consider myself complex, and when I introduce myself, I find it difficult to focus in on a single aspect of me. The clues almost exclusively come from my knowledge of my interlocutors, and their interests or preferences (my challenge has always been to encapsulate my spirit into a brief descriptions about me, because once I identify one aspect, I feel I automatically discard so many others). That is not to say that this scarf is a representation of me - I find it somewhat dissonant, in that it lacks a certain harmony (perhaps this was also representative of Pierre Loti, but unlike this, I aspire to harmony, so this adventurer cannot then become someone I aspire to be like).

Given its strong (and strident) colours and contrasting images, and the vibe given by the collage approach, this scarf is suited for those who wouldn't shy from sporting strong contrasts, contrasting colours and patterns.