07 Oct

Les Cles (1965)

H671428S-13

Artist: Cathy Latham

Year: 1965, 1970s, 1985, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2006, Fall 2008 plus many more reintroductions.
2007 (as a twilly),2010 as 140cm DD,  2015 as 140cm silk

From 1985 “How to Tie”

cles-1985.jpg

From 1986 “How to Wear . . . “.  (Image deleted)

 

From 1994 “How to Wear”

cles6.jpg

Note: Original issue has no copyright.

One of the Hermes’ Ten Best-Selling Designs.

Forty seven historic and antique keys shown in all.

Section of scarf is seen on the artist’s design Soleil de Soie.

From hermes.com:
From the golden key given to the Governor of the Netherlands by the Members of the Council of State on behalf of HRH Charles III (in the left corner) to the key to Notre-Dame (fourth from the lower right corner), the forty-seven keys represented on the scarf Les Cles are all real. A leather pouch embroidered with keys from the Musée Hermés is shown in the middle, while silk cords and pompoms reflect the keys’ curls and arabesques.

The edge of the scarf, trimmed with four-faced “bishop’s hat” harness rivets, displays openwork bronze escutcheons in various styles in each corner. The diversity and complexity of the bits (the wrought part that turns in the lock) makes one wonder which room, piece of furniture or drawer they open, what secrets they protect with such elegant refinement and preciosity. Imagine the complicated mechanics of the lock. This scarf is a hymn to the craftsmen who chiseled these wonders, as well as to the mathematical genius of the locksmiths! It also evokes the age when women hung all their house keys on a chain or silk cord attached to their belts.

2015 hermes.com writeup:

This house of Hermès classic, first issued in 1965, now becomes a contemporary giant. The new size showcases the finesse of these beautifully-worked pieces better than ever – the keys are inspired by models in the collections of Emile Hermès and the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, in Rouen: a superb ensemble of antique fine metalwork. Forty-seven pieces are arranged in a circle around an embroidered purse. Each is authentic, each tells a story, each testifies to the extraordinary workmanship of the artisan silver- and goldsmiths who made it. One opened the doors of Notre-Dame, another was presented to the governor of the Low Countries, under the name Charles III. The bows (the rounded tops of the keys) take the form of lyres, or open books, arabesques or elaborate, intertwining scrolls, while the complexity of the web (the bottom part, designed to turn in the lock) hints at the importance of the secrets they protect.

References: from Vanity Fair magazine (image deleted)

Unknown editorial: (image deleted)

Isabelle Huppert in the film La Pianiste (2001)

cles-pianiste

 

Updated 10/15/15





2 Responses to “Les Cles (1965)”

  1. Mon carré Hermès | Princesse Audrey Says:

    [...] plus que vu l’état de ma gorge, je suis obligée de la couvrir en permanence. Et voici un petit topo à son sujet [...]

  2. KattyBlackyard Says:

    The article is ver good. Write please more

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