Photo by Vincent Tullo
There has been a noticeable shift in luxury fashion’s travel plans lately. Over the past month alone, Los Angeles has emerged as the destination of choice for a growing number of major houses, with Dior staging its Cruise 2027 show at LACMA, Zegna heading to Malibu, and now Hermès bringing the second chapter of its Fall/Winter 2026 womenswear collection to Bel Air. Whether it’s a reflection of the United States’ enduring importance as luxury’s most reliable growth market or simply the appeal of Southern California’s cinematic backdrop, even the industry’s most established names seem increasingly interested in meeting their audience on American soil.
Against that backdrop, as the sun dipped behind the hills of Bel Air last week, Hermès unveiled Chapter II of its Fall/Winter 2026 womenswear collection in a custom pale yellow pavilion overlooking Los Angeles. Continuing a tradition that has previously taken Nadège Vanhée to New York and Shanghai, the latest travelling presentation brought the house’s seasonal story into a setting defined by light, open skies, and seemingly endless horizons.
Titled *Silhouettes on the Horizon*, the show space glowed as daylight faded across the city, with beams of sunlight streaming through the structure while guests, including Miley Cyrus, Keke Palmer, Kerry Washington, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, took their seats. While Los Angeles has become an increasingly popular destination for luxury houses this season, Vanhée’s focus was less on Hollywood spectacle and more on movement itself.
Photos by Filippo Fior
Drawing on the language of ballet and dance, the collection celebrated the body in motion. A pale yellow fringed jumpsuit set the tone early, swaying with each step down the runway, while satin dresses in shades of yellow, red, and teal followed with a fluid ease. Inspired by the texture and construction of ballet slippers, the dresses traced the body’s lines while maintaining a sense of lightness and freedom.
The softer mood extended throughout the collection. Leather remained a key part of the Hermès vocabulary, appearing in wraparound cropped jackets, elongated outerwear, corset dresses, and slim trousers, though the sharply contoured silhouettes of the collection’s first chapter gave way to a more relaxed look. Semi-sheer chiffon skirts and gowns drifted through the pavilion, some featuring the house’s Soleil de Soie Tattoo print, reinforcing the sense of movement that anchored the evening.
As twilight settled over Bel Air, the collection gradually shifted from motion to stillness. A closing sequence of black velvet and satin looks shimmered beneath the fading light, echoing the transition from sunset into night. The moment also offered a subtle link back to the collection’s Paris debut in March, which explored the twilight atmosphere from a different perspective.
More than a change of scenery, Hermès’ Los Angeles presentation felt like an opening of the windows after dark. Through fluid silhouettes, luminous colours, and a continued fascination with the sky above, Vanhée delivered a collection grounded in lightness, possibility, and the promise of what lies beyond the horizon.