Leila Menchari



While my dreams usually consist of a huge walk-in closet overflowing top to bottom with Lanvin, out of the creative mind of Leila Menchari comes a whole other realm of beauty - filled with romantic locations, luxurious fabrics and skins, dazzling jewels, and exotic floral and fauna. Madame Menchari has been the design director for Hermès since 1977 and once a year, we all get to take a voyage into her imagination when Hermès reveals their Christmas windows at their Faubourg Saint-Honore store.
Leila Menchari was born near Hammamet Tunisia in 1928. Her love of the arts was most likely nurtured via her neighbors - a bohemian American couple, Jean and Violet Henson who eventually adopted young Leila as their "Spiritual Daughter" (as they had no children). The Hensons, who built their dream home in Hammamet, made from ancient Roman columns and pediments and filled with exotic treasures acquired from their years of travel, encouraged Menchari to enroll at the l’école Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Soon after Leila graduated she met fellow Tunisian, Azzedine Alaia, whe introduced her to the world of Fashion. It was through him that she became the house model for couturier Guy Laroche. This was a short-lived profession as she was quickly recruited by Hermès as their head illustrator. In 1977 she appointed head stylist by none other than Jean Louis Dumas Hermès, himself.
I did my best to edit the windows according to variety but you should feel free to "like" Hermès on Facebook and have a look at ALL the spectacular windows to truly appreciate her genius.