All aboard the Faubourg Express, a portal into the universe uniquely and craftily Hermès, but our destination was the limits of our imagination, to the moon and back, through the galactic center, beyond the naked-eye stars.

The French luxury brand’s man in Manila, Mario Katigbak, himself a dreammaker, the impresario of Manila’s most memorable events, and his team, including Hermès Manila general manager Stephanie Chong, converted One Ayala Space, a transit hub on Edsa, at the gateway to Makati City, into a dream locomotive, the Faubourg Express, a whimsical train bound for the sanctum sanctorum of Hermès, the very center of creativity that has found expression in such objects of beauty and joy forever as this current collection’s Parade scarf, Montura de Gaucho shawl, Oran sandal, Bouncing sneaker, H Martelee belt buckle and reversible leather strap, Olympe ring, and Faubourg Express calfskin bag.

Hermès’ 2024 yearender was a dinner in a dream, replete with the whimsy of servers in top hats and undulating stripes that dazzled the eye, as much as a menu that indulged the senses with such highlights as temari sushi of sake-infused ikura and toro with daikon, toothfish marinated in honey and miso then pan-fried, and double-cooked, crosscut Wagyu beef and foie gras in bordelaise sauce with potato mousseline, not to mention matcha Paris-Brest, pistachio macaron, citron tart, chocolate praline, and more, all served for dessert on a bed of edible moss and flowers.

Dream, dream, dream, it was real, as playful, as fanciful, as out of this world, as spectacular, as fantastical as a dream, as fantasy-like as Hermès, whose classic designs, rooted in the most revered traditions of creativity and craftsmanship, transcend trends.