Latest news with #LaPiscine
Elle
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
There's A Gingham Summer Dress For Everyone - Here Are 18 Styles To Shop Now
A gingham summer dress is at the top of my summer wish list and I blame three (impeccably dressed) women. First, it was Sarah Jessica Parker, who emerged from an interview wearing a dirndl-inspired, corseted gingham dress (by Austrian designer Lena Hoscheck) atop a vintage-looking blouse. Carrie Bradshaw would approve, I mentally noted. Then, ELLE UK's Daisy Murray teamed a chocolate checked smock dress with a matching headscarf – both by If Only If. Finally, Olivia Rodrigo attended Wimbledon wearing a strawberries-and-cream shirt dress by Ralph Lauren. It was the holy trinity of micro-checks – I was sold. The gingham summer dress isn't a new invention, and that's what makes it such a worthy addition to your wardrobe – it can be worn season after season, decade after decade. For example, the navy and white shift Jane Birkin sports in 1969 film La Piscine wouldn't look out of place today; nor would the pink gingham dress Brigitte Bardot wore to her wedding in 1959 – minus the crinoline, at least for everyday purposes. Allegedly, it was so widely copied that it led to a shortage of gingham fabric in France. Miuccia Prada has long been partial to the print, incorporating it into her own wardrobe, as well as her designs for Prada and Miu Miu. The same goes for Rei Kawakubo, who first introduced gingham into the Comme des Garçons lexicon in 1997, as the fabric of choice for the iconic 'lumps and bumps' collection; the print continues to be a key part of the brand's offering today. If it's good enough for Rei and Miuccia (and Daisy and Sarah Jessica and Olivia), it's good enough for me – and you, dear reader. That's why I've rounded up 18 great gingham summer dresses to see you through the season and for many years to come. From shifts to shirt dresses, midi sundresses to mini smocks, consider this your (gingham) check list. Do like Olivia Rodrigo and step out in a densely-checked shirt dress. To keep things from looking too scholastic, opt for a deep V-neckline or a form-fitting silhouette and finish with a sleek shoulder bag and cat-eye sunglasses. When one thinks of gingham, one thinks of prairie dresses. A puff-sleeve midi and ballet flats are a timeless combination for summer, or go flirtier in the itty-bitty mini from Frankie's Bikinis collab with Bella Hadid – perfect with 1990s-inspired mules. Summer's picnics and garden parties call for a pretty gingham sundress. The fitted bodice and full skirt has a 1950s feel, best contrasted by a pair of modern, minimal sandals or mules. The pencil dress throws off its corporate associations when rendered in gingham print. Róhe's rendition is practically perfect in every way, and looks particularly good with ballet flats and a basket tote – ideally in a riviera setting. The smock dress has our hearts, especially when it's made mini and adorned with gingham checks. Do like ELLE UK's Daisy Murray and wear If Only If's Brigitte dress with the matching headscarf and fisherman sandals. SS25 sees the return of the Sixties-ish shift. Hunza G's halter style doubles as a dress and beach cover-up – wear it with the coordinating bikini and citrus-coloured flip flops. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Perth Now
11-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Why a handbag just sold for over $10 million
The very first of the famed Hermès Birkin handbags, owned by the late actor Jane Birkin, sold for $10.1 million on Thursday. Following the sale, Sotheby's described it on social media as the most valuable handbag ever to be sold at auction. The black, leather bag was the product of a chance meeting on an airplane in 1984 and has since become a symbol of wealth and elevated social status. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Original Birkin handbag sells for $US10 million at auction. Birkin was a British-born actor with a successful career in French films, starring in world cinema classics like La Piscine and Blow-Up. The legend goes that she was using a straw basket as a purse while on a flight from Paris to London, catching the attention of her in-flight neighbor. That fellow passenger was Jean-Louis Dumas, then-chief executive of the Hermès fashion house. According to Hermès, Birkin told Dumas 'that she couldn't find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother'. 'A born creator with a keen eye, he immediately sketched a supple and spacious rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching,' the brand said. Author Marisa Meltzer, who wrote a book about Birkin, said in a video for Sotheby's that the bag took on a life of its own. She noted that the bag was difficult to obtain after Birkin was seen out with it, and it remained an item of scarcity. 'I would say that the Birkin was an accidental icon,' Meltzer said. A Birkin bag generally sells for between $20,000 and $30,000, but the price can go up dramatically on the secondary market. The price depends on various factors such as color, material and whether it was a limited-edition design. Buying a Birkin bag is a complicated process as well. The bags are not sold on the internet and require a shopper to enter an Hermès boutique, where the selection is limited and a sales associate has the right to deny someone the opportunity to buy if there's a waiting list. That scarcity is why many consider a Birkin bag to be the mark of elite social and financial status. And though she provided the inspiration for the bag, Birkin rarely carried one later in her life. She told the BBC in 2017 that she found the bag to be 'too heavy'. 'Now I fill my pockets like a man, because then you don't actually have to carry anything,' Birkin said. Birkin received bags as a gift from the fashion house over the years and actually sold some of the handbags to raise money for causes that were important to her. She sold the original Birkin at an auction for a French AIDS charity in 1994. 'Jane famously adorned it with stickers supporting Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, transforming the luxury handbag into a powerful symbol of her humanitarian efforts,' Sotheby's said on its website. She told The Believer magazine that she had the good fortune of being able to afford designer clothing, but never thought much of it. 'I never considered myself as a fashion icon and, in our days, nobody was. No one had contracts with fashion houses. We just wore exactly what we wanted,' she said. The former actor, singer and fashion icon suffered a stroke in 2021 and died in 2023 at the age of 76.
7NEWS
10-07-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Original Hermès Birkin bag sells for $US10 million at auction
The very first of the famed Hermès Birkin handbags, owned by the late actor Jane Birkin, sold for $10.1 million on Thursday. Following the sale, Sotheby's described it on social media as the most valuable handbag ever to be sold at auction. The black, leather bag was the product of a chance meeting on an airplane in 1984 and has since become a symbol of wealth and elevated social status. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Original Birkin handbag sells for $US10 million at auction. Birkin was a British-born actor with a successful career in French films, starring in world cinema classics like La Piscine and Blow-Up. The legend goes that she was using a straw basket as a purse while on a flight from Paris to London, catching the attention of her in-flight neighbor. That fellow passenger was Jean-Louis Dumas, then-chief executive of the Hermès fashion house. According to Hermès, Birkin told Dumas 'that she couldn't find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother'. 'A born creator with a keen eye, he immediately sketched a supple and spacious rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching,' the brand said. Author Marisa Meltzer, who wrote a book about Birkin, said in a video for Sotheby's that the bag took on a life of its own. She noted that the bag was difficult to obtain after Birkin was seen out with it, and it remained an item of scarcity. 'I would say that the Birkin was an accidental icon,' Meltzer said. A Birkin bag generally sells for between $20,000 and $30,000, but the price can go up dramatically on the secondary market. The price depends on various factors such as color, material and whether it was a limited-edition design. Buying a Birkin bag is a complicated process as well. The bags are not sold on the internet and require a shopper to enter an Hermès boutique, where the selection is limited and a sales associate has the right to deny someone the opportunity to buy if there's a waiting list. That scarcity is why many consider a Birkin bag to be the mark of elite social and financial status. And though she provided the inspiration for the bag, Birkin rarely carried one later in her life. She told the BBC in 2017 that she found the bag to be 'too heavy'. 'Now I fill my pockets like a man, because then you don't actually have to carry anything,' Birkin said. Birkin received bags as a gift from the fashion house over the years and actually sold some of the handbags to raise money for causes that were important to her. She sold the original Birkin at an auction for a French AIDS charity in 1994. 'Jane famously adorned it with stickers supporting Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, transforming the luxury handbag into a powerful symbol of her humanitarian efforts,' Sotheby's said on its website. She told The Believer magazine that she had the good fortune of being able to afford designer clothing, but never thought much of it. 'I never considered myself as a fashion icon and, in our days, nobody was. No one had contracts with fashion houses. We just wore exactly what we wanted,' she said. The former actor, singer and fashion icon suffered a stroke in 2021 and died in 2023 at the age of 76.
