Call it the revenge of women of a certain age, but the needs of the times apparently dictate that we wear trainers more and more, instead of those killer heels. Necessity wins over ego-glam.

And trainers and sneakers have leveled up to luxury. Nothing confirms this more than the Hermès 2016 Women’s Ready-to-Wear Spring-Summer collection presented before Asian media in Seoul, Korea, designed by Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, said to be the first female RTW designer at Hermès in two decades.

And when Hermès—the most bankable luxury brand today—says so, and shows so, then that’s it: Trainers and sneakers are today’s luxe look.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Vanhee-Cybulski said, “Comfort, that’s key for me. I love to wear a pair of trainers with a trouser suit.”

The collection presented Dec. 17 at the Seoul University Gymnasium was sports/fitness-driven or better yet, lifestyle-driven. It’s for women who are glamorous—but with real lives to live. Their sense of reality overrules their sense of frivolity and frill.

The French-born designer told The Telegraph, “I don’t want to turn women into gimmicks or stereotypes.”

Its casual vibe could be carried over to evening chic, given the fabrics used, from crepe de chine and silk, cashmere to calfskin.

In style terms, the silhouettes are loose and flowy, but very classic—not for the seductress or the vamp, but for the active women with quiet confidence. It’s nonchalant elegance.

Minimalism

There are coats, trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses whose lengths range from ultra-mini to ankle-length.

The palette is well-defined and clean: white, black, vibrant blue, red orange or vermilion, mustard.

The lines are even cleaner.

The collection has no need for embellishment. This minimalism uses features judiciously—pleats, stitches, pockets.

What is most impressive is how it presents leather (it’s Hermès, after all) as supple and soft, like silk, and combines it with other luxe fabrics.

Leather can only be luxe—in the world of Hermès—subjected to a craftsmanship that goes to incredible lengths.

The Seoul launch was graced by Axel Dumas, the CEO of Hermès who’s descended from the Dumas family that founded Hermès.

Selected pieces of this collection will be available in Manila soon.