At Hermès, The Unexpected

PARIS, France — Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski was after a playful, unexpected take on Hermès with this collection. And unexpected it was: Vanhee's remarkable clarity of intent, her gentle sense of control went completely AWOL this season. Instead, we got something a bit messy — deliberately so — and a little patchy. Colors, prints, patterns and volumes were mixed in haphazard, at times unflattering ways, maybe in an attempt to get a new edge.

There were many problems going on at once here: the styling, for a start, that made the bulky pieces feel even bulkier; the fit of the high-waisted trousers, not exactly faultless; the lack of coherence in the running order. Best in show, a propos, were a bunch of monochromatic looks that worked like reminders of what Vanhee can do so well, but seems at the moment to have completely forgotten.