Hermès RTW Spring 2009

Get ready, city slickers — Jean Paul Gaultier’s taking you for a Wild West romp at Hermès this spring. So saddle up and gather round all ye olde cowboy cliches because with Gaultier there’s no place for thematic subtlety. His runway stage was giant sandy desert complete with all sorts of cacti, and his first two models out were Calamity Janes of the superstar sort, Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell doing their sexiest high-noon swagger. But here’s the delightful part: despite the costume potential, there was plenty of real, wearable merch to love. (Not one crazy chap in sight.)
The front-and-center motif here was fringe, served straight-up cowpoke style, trimming everything from suede vests and bikini wraps to slouchy jackets and bags. There was denim, natch, and a slew of trenches, dresses and gowns in colorful Mexican serape stripes. But the collection had an elegant ease underscoring it all. Gaultier turned ponchos into belted blouse-like tops and cut one chic shirtdress with a gentle flyaway back. Jackets, meanwhile, draped languidly in the back like curtains. Even the more structured moments, as in the stiffened croc blazers, felt chicly confident. As for the house’s cash cow — the accessories — the designer nicely delivered on jauntily tied neck scarves, low-slung belts, slouchy boots and some fantastic retro-looking suitcases — perfect for the jet-set frontier filly on the go.