For a designer with such an unassuming manner, Pierre Hardy has a very serious list of accomplishments. Since 1990, he has designed women’s shoes and accessories for Hermès, where his famous Oran slide—the one with the leather H over the toes—has sold well over 100,000 pairs. His double-looped watchband made Hermès timepieces a fashion sensation, and when the company wanted to launch high jewelry in 2001, there was no concern that Hardy had never worked in gems before. And designing under his own name—there are Pierre Hardy boutiques in New York, Paris, and Tokyo, with about 150 other points of sale worldwide—he’s the reason why so many stylish men’s shoes have white soles. His graphic, leather handbags are as far from the blingy, vulgar “It” variety as you can get, which means they, like he, stand the test of time. In honor of the 20th anniversary of Hardy’s eponymous brand, herewith his highest standards …
AIRPORT: Figari, in Corsica, for the smell of the maquis
App: Brushes
Bedtime: Midnight-ish
Birthday: Never
Breakfast: A late one—on the weekend
Car: Gray Mercedes 300SL from the 1980s
Cocktail: Bloody Mary
Diet: Chocolate and figs
Drive: Paris by night
Fitness regime: Five days a week
Flaw: Imperfection
Good-bye: “Hello!”
ALIBI:
“I have to finish the collection.”
Insult: Only when I drive
Jacket: Prada
Movie: Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
Novel: Anything by Erri De Luca
Nonfiction book: La Solitude Caravage, by Yannick Haenel
Pair of pants: A quest
Pair of shoes: My sneakers
Piece of advice: “Believe in yourself.”
Singer: Donna Summer
Television series: Black Mirror and The Handmaid’s Tale
Toast: “To love.”
Vacation: Any Mediterranean island
Victim: Fashion
Work of art: Anything by Ellsworth Kelly, Antony Gormley or Caravaggio
Sheer Perfection
