Dress Code: Seaside Glamour in The French Riviera
Bardot. Birkin. Picasso. We’re traveling back to the French Riviera’s early days — a fashionable stretch when wardrobe was just as synonymous with the impossibly scenic Côte d'Azur itself. Naturally Cannes deserves its own nod, thanks in part to the International Film Festival, when each May for two weeks a cinematic community descends into town. In honor of the season, just below, some highlights from the Mediterranean’s golden era.
In the early twenties, fashionable newcomers included American ex-pats Gerald and Sara Murphy, and their tight circle of arty and literary pals including Pablo Picasso, Getrude Stein, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and several members of the Paris-founded Ballets Russes. Of course later, And God Created Woman - or shall we say – along came Bridgitte Bardot to the scene. In 1953, certainly long before influencers were the rage, a then-unknown Bardot (only 18 in those days) accompanied her then-husband, the journalist Roger Vadim to the film festival. It was here that the model-actress sealed her pin-up fate after appearing on Croisette wearing a teeny-weeny bikini. (Bardot’s since been credited with making the 2-piece bathing suit a thing).
Also in the high glamour fashion realm was American actress Grace Kelly, whose glitzy evening pieces leaned heavily on couturiers – Balenciaga, Givenchy, Christian Dior, and Yves St Laurent. Kelly’s daytime look featured a minimalist bourgeois style with streamlined pieces (i.e Hèrmes silk scarves, cat-eye sunglasses, turbans, Capri pants, Gucci driving moccasins). In 1955, Kelly debuted in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder in Cannes; she also met her future husband, Prince Rainier of Monaco. Of course, Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief, set on the French Riviera, merits its own nod. Especially in the driving scene where Kelly – styled by Edith Head – effortlessly pairs a sleeveless coral top with white driving gloves and Cary Grant appears dapper in a white oxford with a blazer.
The height of 50s fashion for leading Hollywood men often featured a look of cigarettes and bow ties; as spotted on actors Gary Cooper and Jean Marais. And in 1957, Picasso – already a legend in mixed media – clearly liked to mash-up his uniform: shorts, leather mules, striped shirts and cigarettes. In a fun meeting, Bardot visited Picasso at his Vallauris studio (and as captured by LIFE magazine photographer Jerome Brierre). A photograph that spans age and style: Picasso wears a plaid shirt while a pony-tailed Bardot flaunts a flirty, leafy floral dress.
Glancing around the azure seaside scene at that time and you’d likely spot chic breezy attire such as bathing suits, straw hats and sandals.
In the 50s, leading lady Leslie Caron (Gigi) favored a belted dress with a straw hat; while actress Pascale Petit donned gingham.
In the early sixties, a dapperly suited Iba Gueye documented actress Nanette Senghor.
Of course, French cinema it-girl Catherine Deneuve made dressing up look easy, thanks to sprinkling striped sequins, elbow-length gloves and hoop earrings.
In 1974, French singer Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin wooed the crowds with their unfussy, effortlessly-cool, rock-n-roll style. No matter the ever-changing trends of today, it’s safe to say that the timeless South of France fashion, with its authentic focus on individuality, will never fade.
