Hermès took over Paris’ Mobilier National for its A/W19 menswear show

Hermès took over Paris’ antiques-filled Mobilier National for its AW19 menswear show

Photography: Matthieu Raffard via Hermès

France’s Mobilier National building – the government ministry for state furniture – provided the storied backdrop for Hermès’ AW19 menswear show in Paris yesterday.

The concrete building was designed by Auguste Perret in 1936 and is described by Hermes as ‘a place between patrimonial vigilance and modernity.’ The state department is responsible for furnishing every official building in France, and the building is an archive for pieces from the Regency, Louis XI, Art Deco period and beyond – a fitting backdrop of Véronique Nichanian’s updated menswear classics.

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Guests flanked the runway, sitting on black-stained birch benches beneath glass light wells as models streamed past. Looks included a double-breasted wool coat with silver buttons and blue calfskin pants, and shantung silk trousers. More casual pieces featured bold graphic designs and Chinese dragon motifs.