“They Let the Dogs Out”: Lyas Reports Live from Hermès Mens SS25

SUNDAY JUNE 23, 2024 6:04 PM PARIS

On a sweltering day in the city of love, Hermès brought out the summer romance for its Mens Spring/Summer 2025 show. From popped-open buvard pink button-ups to big brown beach bags, the French luxury house told a color story of sunset fêtes and sultry flings. After the show (and the afterparty), our resident Paris fashion correspondent Lyas called us up to ring in the Hermès summer.

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MITCHELL NUGENT: Hey, you. Can you hear me?

LYAS: Yes, perfect.

NUGENT: Better than last night. You couldn’t hear a thing that I was saying.

LYAS: Literally couldn’t hear a word. I was just nodding.

NUGENT: We were like Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, chain-smoking and drinking champagne.

LYAS: Literally. You abandoned me when I proposed yet another cigarette.

NUGENT: I’ve only lived in France since February, so I need to up my—

LYAS: Addiction.

NUGENT: Yeah. So what do you first think of when you think of Hermès?

LYAS: It’s the epitome of luxury. It is so luxurious that you cannot even get a new one if you wanted to. It’s something that is so unattainable. And then I think of Jane Birkin, of course.

NUGENT: There’s an iconic tweet from Lindsay Lohan and it’s a picture of her pink ostrich Birkin, and the tweet says, “Birkin, MacBook computer, Chanel, and a jet. Never quit fighting to live your dreams. God bless.” 

LYAS: That’s way better than what I said. There’s also those photos of the Olsen twins smoking and leaving their Birkins on the floor.

NUGENT: There’s a TikTok trend right now of people Jane Birkin-ifying their bags. What are you putting on your bag this summer? 

LYAS: I have this crazy lighter that Dupont gave me. It’s horrible because you have to recharge it literally at the end of every day, but it’s just so luxurious. It’s metallic. It costs €500. Other than that, I’ll keep a book to pretend I am intellectual. Cigarettes, of course. And you’ve got to match your cigarettes to the outfit and the brand you’re wearing. You cannot smoke Marlboro Reds while wearing Rick Owens.

NUGENT: I’ve never heard of this before. 

LYAS: Vaping, for example. You cannot vape while wearing Jean Paul Gaultier. You cannot just smoke whatever you want. I could give you a whole list.

NUGENT: So when we’re wearing Hermès, what are we smoking?

LYAS: I would think it’s a skinny one. A Vogue, maybe a minty one.

NUGENT: You’re really setting the vibe for an Hermès show. The epitome of French chic.

LYAS: Exactly. Hermès is one of the only shows where you have to have your ID with you to get in, and I was with a friend that did not have his ID. He got rejected, but of course I had my French passport because I’m very proud to be French and I always carry it around. 

NUGENT: What was the vibe of the venue?

LYAS: When we entered, they gave us a detox juice. So after my 20 cigarettes and a glass of wine, I think it rejuvenated me. It was this huge venue with LED screens that were projecting what I think was close ups of waves in the water, and that was beautiful. The collection was about that summery vibe of the south of France, I believe. The venue was huge. And you know what was also huge? The number of Hermès bags I counted.

NUGENT: How many?

LYAS: 43 in total.

NUGENT: Are you more of a Birkin or a Kelly person?

LYAS: I think Birkin, because I’m French. Where is Grace Kelly from? Monaco?

NUGENT: Grace Kelly was American and she married the Prince of Monaco.

LYAS: See, okay.

NUGENT: What were your standouts in the collection?

LYAS: All these models had these fake tattoos printed on their bodies, which was really fun for Hermès. It’s something that I did not expect, but they were being as inclusive as they can be towards punk and edge.

NUGENT: I thought of that Kim Kardashian quote: “Never put a bumper sticker on a Bentley.” But maybe Hermès tattoos are the way to go?

LYAS: If Hermès tells you to, I mean, you can do it anywhere. There was a huge brown Hermès bag that I liked, but I don’t think it’s out yet. The sandals were pretty great, too. All the models had them. They all let the dogs out.

NUGENT: There was a shirt with a built-in neckerchief, which was so chic. It’s a little bit of work to tie a neckerchief, and it’s summertime, we don’t want to do more work. We want to have it built in so we can go to Saint-Tropez.

LYAS: Yes, it’s really hot. And my outfit for Vogue World later on is insanely hot.

NUGENT: Speaking of temperatures, there were a lot of layers in the Hermès show. It’s 24 degrees today and French people are wearing winter jackets. You’re from Normandy, right? 

LYAS: I am.

NUGENT: Explain the need for layers in all seasons.

LYAS: Listen, this is my interpretation. I do not want to go out in the morning and have the same outfit the whole day. So when I have layers, I can just peel them off and end up with a completely different outfit by the end of the day. 

NUGENT: Are you putting these layers in your bag? 

LYAS: In your Birkin, maybe your Kelly. A little scarf, maybe you put it on, maybe you just hold it over the shoulder. You never know with the weather these days. 

NUGENT: Okay. What do you think of the colors in the show notes?

LYAS: They had a list of colors, but you know that I’m colorblind.

NUGENT: This might be futile then. What do you think of buvard pink?

LYAS: Pink makes me think of Lady Gaga’s Met Gala look by Brandon Maxwell. I’m colorblind, so I don’t see most of the shades of things, but the color is really pop. It was one of the first times that I saw a pink so bright that I was like, “This is pink.”

NUGENT: What about matcha green? Are you a matcha girlie? 

LYAS: Not at all. I don’t really get it. If I would get into the Matcha cult, I should have gone into it a few years ago. Now it’s a bit too late. I’ll have an espresso.

NUGENT: The next color is lychee.

LYAS: I love lychee. I always thought the seed was way too beautiful to not be edible. 

NUGENT: There used to be this bar in New York called Verlaine on Rivington where they served six-dollar lychee martinis.

LYAS: A lychee martini sounds really good right now.

NUGENT: The next color is biscuit.

LYAS: Is biscuit a color? Is it brownish?

NUGENT: It’s a taupe-y color.

LYAS: I don’t really see it as a color. Biscuits are too dry. I’d rather eat Arabic pastries. I always get them. The cornes de gazelle are amazing.

NUGENT: The next color is chocolate.

LYAS: Ah, we love chocolate. Chocolate is a great color. It reminds me of Johnny Depp. Can I say that?

NUGENT: Yes. And Juliette Binoche.

LYAS: Who is that?

NUGENT: Didn’t she star in Chocolat with him?

LYAS: No, I’m talking about Willy Wonka.

NUGENT: Oh. It’s the French diet. Ecru is the next color.

LYAS: Ecru is a beautiful word. I would buy an ecru bag from Hermès if they let me.

NUGENT: I always think of Halston. He would wear an ecru smock jacket pretty much every day with a black turtleneck. What about mist?

LYAS: I think of that horror movie, The Mist. It was one of the movies that made me fall in love with cinema. There’s a mist that goes into town that covers everything. You cannot see anything because there’s aliens in town. The ending is incredible. 

NUGENT: Wow. That’s everything. Well, safe travels to Miami and I’ll see you back in France.

LYAS: Yes. Let’s do something this summer.

NUGENT: Okay. Au revoir.