Living the Hermès dream
It’s a school night, but just this Monday, Hermès fans were out on the dance floor until midnight. It’s a shindig in celebration of its theme for the year, “In Pursuit of Dreams,” so I asked Hermès Philippines general manager Mario Katigbak for his Hermès dream.
“To grant more Hermès dreams and it is coming true,” he answers as we make our way from the Optical Illusion room into the next. “In the first quarter of next year, we are expanding our store, taking over the space next door to carry a larger assortment and bigger displays.”
The next room is Pegasus Galaxy Room, a starry night sky with a full moon rising on the horizon. It’s an enlarged version of one of the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune moons, bearing the exact appearance of the satellite at its full phase, craters and all, with the winged mythical horse Pegasus as he flies over the moon. The pattern is originally on a pair of stationary mother-of-pearl moons with a complementary pair of floating lacquer dials, rotating, covering and uncovering the moons to indicate the current moon phase in both the southern and northern hemispheres at once. The crowd moves as if to the gravitational force of the moon.
One of the early birds is actress-slash-influencer and Hermès collector Heart Evangelista. Slung on her arm is her Himalaya Birkin, dubbed by auction house Christie’s as the Holy Grail of handbags and one of the rarest in the world, crafted from Nile crocodile hide and named for its delicate gradation of smoky grey, fading into a pearly white that resembles the snow-capped Himalayas. She was taking photos of the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune moon with Pegasus for her Instagram stories.
The Multi-colored Paddock Room is where the dance floor is. Colored lights animate the walls and the floor; it is like being inside an Hermès scarf. I found a scarf twin in Rustan’s board member Maritess Tantoco Enriquez, wearing the Animapolis scarf by the artist Jan Bajtlik, the exuberant composition that Hermès used to introduce the theme of the year. She wore it as a collar while I tied mine on my shoulders as a cape to go with my bow tie. We both agree it is our favorite piece. The possibilities are endless with Hermes silks.
I rested my dancing shoes and got a better view of how the well-dressed guests wear their Hermès bags. The Kelly Pochette is a crowd favorite with embellished cocktail dressings; a dream come true for those who cannot bear to part with the Hermès classic named after actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, but need something daintier for the evening, or as a take on the mini bag trend. I spy a blue Birkin with the handles wrapped in scarves as a man-purse. A crocodile Constance with a roaring tiger print coat and a Roulis 23 paired with an androgynous suit to fit all essentials while allowing for hands-free ease. A Medor clutch, tucked into fingers balancing a champagne glass, on a hand with a stack of Collier de Chien bracelets. A bleu du Nord Jige Elan 29 clutch on a young Hermès fan in an equally slim and slinky slip. A black Cherche-Midi clutch with silver hardware, matching a corseted black look with white gold jewelry. Resting beside me is a Verrou chaine mini bag, a silhouette that captures the French luxury brand’s whimsy, a humorous conversation piece with its bathroom stall slide lock. The owner wears it with strappy flats — how refreshing for eveningwear! There really is an Hermès for every kind of dreamer.
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Hermès is in Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati.
