THE JOURNAL
A tribute to Gallic style.
French style is an aesthetic that is frustratingly hard to put into words. Sophisticated, yes, but also a little dishevelled, with some sensuality and bravado thrown in. Does that capture it? Not quite, but that’s probably why somebody invented the phrase “je ne sais quoi”. So, in terms of summarising French style, let’s leave it at that and ask someone who really knows – Mr Pierre Mahéo. As part of our Vive La France campaign celebrating the French brands available on MR PORTER, we asked Mr Mahéo, the designer behind the eminently stylish (and French) Officine Generale, to tell us about some of the Frenchmen who inspired his capsule collection, and what makes them so, how you say, élégant.
MR FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
Mr Francois Truffaut on the set of L’Argent De Poche, 1976. Photograph by Collection Christophel/Les Films du Carrosse/Alamy
“Pioneer of La Nouvelle Vague, François Truffaut is certainly one of the most iconic French film directors, not only from a cinematographic point of view but also on the fashion side, by presenting his actors in a quiet yet revolutionary way at that time. They were essentially wearing what their fathers used to wear, but the way they were wearing it was totally different. There was no more tie, or the tie was worn with an open collar and a leather bomber, denim was everywhere and everything was suddenly much softer, younger and much more modern.”
MR JACQUES DUTRONC
Mr Jacques Dutronc in Tula, Mexico, 1967. Photograph by Mr Jean-Marie Perier/Photo12
“Jacques Dutronc always had a kind of ironic elegance, like he never took anything too seriously… He was the one to make Carvil, the French shoemaker, really popular in the 1960s by naming the brand in one of his most famous songs, called ‘Les Play Boys’. I thought it was cool to reproduce the styles he was wearing at that time and asked Carvil to recreate two pairs for us.”
MR JEAN-PAUL BELMONDO
Mr Jean Paul Belmondo in Pierrot Le Fou, 1965. Photograph by Everett Collection/Alamy
“It was in Pierrot Le Fou that I found inspiration for the seersucker blue suit and navy linen polo shirt of the Vive La France capsule collection. Jean-Paul Belmondo was a key actor of the Nouvelle Vague generation. He was extremely powerful and had such a strong attitude, and to me he mastered the dressed-down, casual look as no one did before him.”
MR ROGER VADIM
Mr Roger Vadim on the set of Don Juan 73 with Ms Brigitte Bardot, 1972. Photograph by Bridgeman Art Library
“Roger Vadim was the man behind Et Dieu… Créa La Femme, one of the most sensual movies made at that time. That film not only created the legend of Brigitte Bardot (his wife at that time) but also showed to the world a little harbour called Saint-Tropez. Have a look at the movie to see the importance of simplicity in a look.”
MR VINCENT LINDON
Mr Vincent Lindon in Je Crois Que Je L’Aime, 2007. Photograph by Ms Nathalie Eno/Photo12
“The most important thing you can learn by looking at Vincent Lindon is that whatever he decides to wear, he feels confident in it. He will never go for trendy pieces, and he mostly dresses in clothes that look like they have belonged to him for ever…and it just looks great. Denim, suits, shearling – everything has that aged feeling that makes it so true and personal. And there is no secret to looking this good – you can only achieve it by buying a product that uses great fabrics and materials.”
