Goodbyes are hard – harder still when you have to choreograph your own as a runway show. And harder again when, like Véronique Nichanian, that farewell comes after a staggering 38 years. Appointed artistic director of Hermès menswear in 1988, Nichanian stepped down yesterday, handing the reins to Grace Wales Bonner for next season (though she will remain at the house as artistic director of men’s leather and silk).

It was a goodbye entirely in Nichanian’s style: subtle, poignant and precise. Above the runway, screens played a montage of her bows over the decades, charting the evolution of a body of work that has shaped modern menswear. Over her tenure, Nichanian transformed Hermès into a menswear powerhouse – slick, artful, and immaculately made. In an industry addicted to reinvention, she has been one of its rare constants, a designer you can always rely on for intelligence, restraint, and immaculate clothing.

The opening look said it all. A parka in smooth black calfskin, paired with an unassuming khaki cotton poplin shirt-blouson layered over another khaki shirt and black tie combo, finished with impeccably cut cotton-wool trousers. It was pure Nichanian: unflashy and assured. From there, the show unfolded as a masterclass in material and proportion. Raincoats elevated to objects of desire; checked knitwear with zip-collar detailing; double-breasted pinstripe tailoring cut to perfection. There were coats in water-repellent double cashmere, a full-grain lambskin jacket, a reversible cashmere-and-wool travel coat, a pea jacket softened with velvet shearling. Woven through the collection were archival pieces: a mocha calfskin jumpsuit from FW91, a blouson with a detachable front from FW04, a cashmere turtleneck from FW11 – gentle reminders of how enduring Nichanian’s vision has been. “Striking the note just between refinement and sensuality,” read the show notes – Nichanian’s modus operandi, distilled. The final look – her final look – was a navy crocodile coat worn over a black silk turtleneck. Understated and immaculate.

After the show, Nichanian hosted a goodbye party featuring a live performance by Paul Weller. Shout to the top, indeed.