In need of summer dressing inspiration? Try these pop culture references from film and television …
Jean Seberg, Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
Although Bonjour Tristesse was released in 1958, there are so many components of Hollywood actress Jean Seberg’s gamine wardrobe that endure. The film perfectly captures languid days spent on the Mediterranean, with a wardrobe to boot. When she’s not wearing Breton stripes, Seberg’s character Cecilie passes days by the sea in a striking red swimsuit, with a simple blue chambray shirt as a cover up and a pair of tailored shorts. While, for eveningwear, she slips into custom dresses made for the movie by Hubert de Givenchy: perfection.
Kirsten Dunst, The Two Faces of January (2014)
A firm summer favourite, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) is often touted as the ultimte in riviera dressing. However, The Two Faces of January (2014), also based on a book by queen of dramatic tension Patricia Highsmith, has its own notable wardrobe moments, too. In the movie, Kirsten Dunst stars alongside Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac, playing the wife of a swindler, with a perfectly early 1960s wardrobe to boot. Think: waisted dresses, cat-eye sunglasses and sherbet shades, cast against the blistering heat of Greece.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City season 4
If, like us, the return of Sex and the City’s follow-up And Just Like That is leaving you less than inspired, may we suggest a rewatch of the original show – for both a superior entertainment and sartorial experience. Much of the six seasons of the HBO series was filmed during the summer months in New York, often imbuing the original with a heady feeling. Although, it’s in season four of the show where Carrie’s wardrobe reaches peak brilliance, we think. It’s the time of blue kilt miniskirts, excellent vintage summer dresses, plus a very striking two-piece Chanel suit in the episode titled Ring A Ding Ding.
Jane Birkin, La Piscine (1969)
For some, Jane Birkin’s wardrobe is the blueprint of summer dressing. And her costumes in 1969 film La Piscine, which explores the dark side of lust, are no exception. Birkin flits around a villa near St. Tropez in apt Vichy checks, knitted mini dresses and crochet pool cover-ups, as well as a rather iconic white bikini.
Liv Tyler, Stealing Beauty (1996)
If you’re looking for the 1990s precursor to Eat, Pray, Love, then Liv Tyler’s Stealing Beauty is it. In this drama, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci – and also starring Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack and Rachel Weisz – Tyler’s character Lucy flees to the Tuscan village where her mother grew up, in the wake of her tragic suicide. Expect a wardrobe that’s full of rustic charm: we spotted ruffled floaty dresses, spaghetti straps and great shirting. In general, Tyler’s wardrobe could be lifted straight from the new-in section of Reformation.
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