House that Hermes built

Deirdre Newman

While California casual attire may have relegated the tie to an

anachronism, an art display at South Coast Plaza is restoring the tie

to its former glory.

The “Hermes Tie Temple” honors the paragon of tie makers -- Hermes

International, based in Paris. The company, which started out making

harnesses for horse-drawn carriages, has been designing silk ties

since the 1940s.

The temple, created by Italian artist Alessandro Mendini, honors

the Hermes tradition and illustrates the philosophy and creative

processes of the company. Its appearance at South Coast Plaza is its

only one on the West Coast.

“Hermes is an important luxury retailer at South Coast Plaza and a

company that has built its heritage on quality,” Debra Gunn Downing,

executive director of marketing for the plaza, said. “This unique tie

exhibit reflects the integral part the silk tie has played in Hermes’

identity since the 1940s.”

Mendini was inspired to create the temple because the Hermes tie

is “one of the great ceremonial symbols of our age,” according to a

note of his inside the temple.

From afar, the temple looks like a structure adorned with

curtains. But upon closer examination, the curtains turn out to be

made of groups of Hermes ties of the same color family joined in a

crisscross pattern. In the front of the temple, ties hang from the

ceiling to create an entryway. More ties make up the roof. A colorful

mosaic tile floor complements the array of ties throughout the

structure. All together, the temple is made up of more than 500 ties.

In the middle of the temple stands a golden-bronze sculpture of a

Hermes tie, like a Greek god used to being worshipped.

Along the walls are framed sketches of ties, dotted with notes in

French. Descriptions in English are below them.

Reading the descriptions, you learn that toward the end of the

1960s, “the drawings of Henri D’Origny freed the ties -- launched at

the beginning of the 1950s -- from their cautious geometric patterns

by creating playfully inspired equestrian compositions.”

Other drawings show ties with moon shapes and whimsical patterns

of jockeys riding flying horses among the clouds.

The temple drew mixed reactions from passersby. Some checked it

out from the outside, others peered in through the tie “walls,” and

some ventured inside to find out more.

“It’s very clever,” said Zena Gaynes of Los Angeles, who stopped

to examine it.

Others weren’t so impressed.

“Some people have too much free time on their hands,” said Joan

Wetzler, who was visiting from Reno.

The exhibit’s concierge, Chris Herrera, who sported a Hermes tie,

said the temple piques the curiosity of about 90% of the shoppers

strolling by.

“Everyone thinks it’s really unique,” Herrera said. “Mostly people

are interested in it as a work of art. Maybe 10% to 20% are

interested in Hermes afterward.”