Bohemian rhapsody
Designer Savannah Miller has looked to her own wardrobe for her new exclusive collection for Next.
FOOTBALL may or may not be coming home depending on where in the UK you live and how much faith you have in Gareth Southgate’s men not to mess it all up at the last minute.
My own interest in the Euros starts and ends with whether or not a match will affect what time Coronation Street is on.
So when most of England had their eyes on Wembley this week, I was looking a little further afield – to Europe.
Because while us Brits are still not quite free to enjoy its gallic charms, a host of movie stars and models have been in the sunny south of France for the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
After last year’s event was wiped out by Covid-19, this year’s shindig was moved from its usual May date to July, and already we have seen a host of Hollywood icons parading down the famous Promenade de la Croisette.
From Brigitte Bardot barefoot on the beach in 1956 to Liz Taylor rocking a power-shouldered red gown in 1987 and Claudia Schiffer and Kate Moss stealing the show in slinky slips in 1998, the festival has always been as much a fashion spectacle as a movie showcase, and so far this year’s event is living up to its reputation.
On the opening night alone guests included Dame Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard and one of my biggest girl crushes, Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Dame Helen, 75, shone in a bright yellow Dolce & Gabbana midi dress, while Jessica, 44, was dazzling in Christian Dior Haute Couture. Maggie, 43, was elegance personified in Celine and Oscar winner Marion, 45, stuck to her trusty Chanel.
But it was Four Weddngs and a Funeral star Andie MacDowell, 63, who stole the show teaming her Prada and Versace gowns with newly grown-out long grey locks. If you’re considering going au naturel, let Andie’s stunning silver mane power you on.
With a few days left of the festival, I can’t wait to see what style gems the rest of the guests have in store.
Soccer may get other people’s juices flowing but designer dresses, diamonds and a sense of joie de vivre, this is what gets yours truly at fever pitch.
As we look forward to the lifting of our final freedoms in the coming weeks and the return of weddings, parties and nightclubs, if anything can get me motivated for a return to high-voltage glamour, Cannes can.
■ It is the most famous handbag to have ever been stitched and now a Hermes Birkin owned by the woman who spawned its creation is set to go under the hammer.
English actress and singer Jane Birkin helped design the tote in 1983, sketching it out on an aeroplane sick bag when she got chatting to Hermes boss Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight. Jane’s own bag, signed by the 74-year-old star, who lives in France (she was at Cannes, obvs), will be auctioned by Bonhams later this month and is expected to fetch more than £20,000.
Given Birkins’ propensity to soar in value, I might have put a bid in had I not spent all my money on grey marl sweaters during the pandemic...