September 24, 2021 |
Francois Sagan’s beat generation style was the inspiration for Max Mara designer Ian Griffiths, who channelled her cool-girl looks and that of her ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ protagonist Cécile as immortalised in Otto Preminger’s classic movie. Sagan was a rebellious, 17-year-old, grounded at home as punishment for failing her baccalauréat, when she wrote the literary sensation, in 1954.
Griffiths deftly mixed easy, beatnik pieces such as roomy leather reefer jackets, and above-the-knee pencil skirts, with classic workwear shapes – fisherman’s smocks, denim carpenter pants, dungarees. The mood was practical but with plenty of non-conformist attitude.
A description of Sagan as a “luxury hotel existentialist” inspired breezy, canvas, deckchair striped coats and leggy little skirts. They evoked the easy informality of long holiday afternoons. With that, the summer mood was set. There’s plenty to look forward to.
Photography courtesy of Max Mara.
