Trotting off from this Saturday’s Dubai World Cup, where thoroughbred Animal Kingdom raced by jockey Joel Rosario took home the world’s largest horse racing trophy (a cool AED 36.7 million), we kick off our week celebrating the influence of sport on fashion.
Before specializing in saddler and leather goods, the French Maison, Hermès, established in 1837, originally opened as a shop specializing in harnesses for European noblemen. Celebrating the launch of the new Hermès Dressage Chrono timepiece, the ballet, Time in Motion, created specifically for Hermès, was performed last week at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan. The pas de deux (a ballet for two people) performed by choreographer David Drouard and Sandra Sanvin toyed with the concept of time—dancers’ steps would speed up and then slow down, while their movements were accentuated by digital projections of the Hermès watches.
Afterwards, at the dinner, guests Shala Monroque and Kelly Rutherford were entertained by a live watchmaker fiddling at his station and horse projections featured in the elevator reminded all of the Maison’s heritage. “The dance was incredible, and tonight was really seamless,” Waris Ahluwalia told Style.com. “As a designer, you always need something to look up to. Hermès has always been, for me, the barometer of craft and quality.”
