Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1344682
F rench luxury company Hermès is nothing if not always on brand. An aside … A few months back, I received a gift card for my birthday with an undisclosed amount. As this was during COVID lockdown, I called customer service. A chic French voice shared that one of their operators would be with me shortly — followed not by muzak, but by the clippity-clop sound of horses hooves. In my mind's eye, they spent their time in isolation brainstorming new products, and sure enough, there's a new fragrance: H24, the first men's cologne since Terre d'Hermès debuted 15 years ago. The fresh green scent — blended from clary sage, narcissus, rosewood essence, and sclarene — veers from traditional men's eau de parfums, which rely on woodiness. Given the battle cry for sustainable fashion, Hermès has unveiled an eco-friendly refillable bottle for H24, designed by Philippe Mouquet, in a 100 percent recycled box. H24 travel spray $33, 50ml $80, 100ml $105, at the Hermès boutique, hermes.com. Billy Fong Hermès H24 TIMELESS MAN LIFT OFF: OUT OF THIS WORLD HANDBAGS M i s s i o n c o n t ro l to Major Tom: An interstellar and terrestrial c o l l e c t i o n o f limited-edition handbags has touched down at Dior. For the Lady Dior Art Bag #5 series, the fashion house taps an artist with a Texas connection. L.A.- based Gisela Colón is represented by McClain Gallery, where she's been highlighted in solo and group shows over the past decade, beginning with 2016's "Radiant Space," where Colón was the sole women among a field of the most emblematic artists of the Southern California Light and Space movement. For Dior, the sculptress — whose preferred medium is blow-molded acrylic defined by futuristic shifts of iridescent color — ventures into handbags with hologram and petrol finishes, respectively the medium- sized Stardust in silver-tone lambskin and the larger Amazonia in black- patent calfskin. Each design bears an elliptical pod on its front surface and a seductive charm evoking an otherworldly monolith — both forms, calling cards of Colón's practice. $10,500 to $11,500, at dior.com; artworks from $30,000, on view at McClain Gallery through March, mcclaingallery.com. Catherine D. Anspon B i l l A r n i n g , t h e former director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, is beginning his next chapter as a gallerist in Montrose, the city's original arts neighborhood. He's leased the former location of Acadian Bakers, a high- profile 2,300-square-foot spot on West Alabama that's been transformed by architect Michael Landrum into a light-washed, white-box space with two exhibition galleries. Snazzy graphics by NYC-based Peter Ahlberg of Ahl & Co punctuate the historic storefront exterior, serving as beacon for collectors and the art crowd. Arning is a natural for the gallery biz, with curatorial chops aplenty for organizing and presenting exhibitions at the CAMH for Marilyn SECOND ACT Minter, Stan VanDerBeek, and Houston bad boy Mark Flood. At Bill Arning Exhibitions, the spring lineup signals his ambitious intentions, mixing national and Texas figures in recent shows "Animal Nitrate" and "Tod Bailey: Thoughts Conceal Truth." Now on view, "Terry Suprean: Our Secret Sadness" pairs the lapidary paintings of this Houston disrupter with the color- suffused, jaunty unstretched canvases by West Coast talent Chuck Nanney (both, March 6 – April 11). May brings a museum-level show for Michael Tracy (May 1 – June 19), featuring the Menil-exhibited artist's recent paintings alongside past sculpture. "My main goal is to get the younger generation of curators, especially in Europe, to understand what a seminal figure Tracy is," Arning tells PaperCity. Of his career move, he says, "It was time for me to finally do my own venue and give full expression to my unique edgy vision ... this is the biggest chance I have ever taken, and so far it thrills me every day." Bill Arning Exhibitions, 604 W. Alabama, 617.359.9643, billarning. com. Catherine D. Anspon Bill Arning Terry Suprean Lady Dior Art Bag, Amazonia, in collaboration with Gisela Colón PORTRAITS BY JACK THOMPSON 28