At Hermès, woven leather and quiet confidence set the tone for Paris menswear

PARIS (AP) — While much of Paris Fashion Week chased spectacle, Hermès chose a different path.

On Saturday, artistic director Véronique Nichanian unveiled a Summer 2026 men’s collection that spoke in a language of quiet strength, deep craft and calm luxury.

Models walked beneath soaring mirrors in sharply cut jackets, high-waisted woven leather trousers, and sleeveless tops — pieces that fused house tradition with a modern, easy sensuality.

Nichanian’s colors were cool and exact: coffee, slate, taupe and beige, each one a lesson in subtlety. There was no shouting here, only precision.

What made the collection powerful was its restraint. Where others go wide, Hermès goes narrow —offering tailored silhouettes and a sense of order when the rest of fashion is busy making noise. Fine leather, featherlight silks, and bandanas with a whisper of fringe reminded the crowd that true luxury is about touch, not flash.

Nichanian’s playful touches — zigzag motifs, the wink of an unbuttoned shirt, a glint of silver hardware — kept things human, not stiff. It was a masterclass in how to make classic codes feel new, even radical, simply by refusing to chase trends.

In a season marked by designer shake-ups and economic jitters, Hermès stood alone: confident, focused, and unwilling to compromise. As Nichanian took her bow to cheers, she sent a clear message — at Hermès, luxury is about the pleasure of the wearer, not the applause of the crowd.

A model wears a creation as part of the men's Hermes Spring-Summer 2026 collection, that was presented in Paris Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation as part of the men's Hermes Spring-Summer 2026 collection, that was presented in Paris Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Models wear creations as part of the men's Hermes Spring-Summer 2026 collection, that was presented in Paris Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Fashion designer Veronique Nichanian acknowledges applause after the presentationof the men's Hermes Spring-Summer 2026 collection, that was presented in Paris Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation as part of the men's Hermes Spring-Summer 2026 collection, that was presented in Paris Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)