Dressed in French Pop
The Icons Behind Spring POP!
I’ve always connected music and fashion as one. Even in my youngest years, rummaging through my dad’s album covers, I was just as drawn to the Beatles as I was to their Sgt. Pepper’s uniforms. The music pulled me in, but so did the look.
Like many of us stuck at home in the summer of 2020, I found myself craving something transportive. With live shows on hold, I began reorganizing our record collection and searching for sounds that could take me elsewhere. Somewhere with style, with a pulse, with sparkle. That’s when I discovered Baby Pop by France Gall, reissued by Third Man Records. Her golden bob and baby-pink dress leapt off the cover, and that perfect cat-eye sealed it. I was sold. That record played all summer long.
France Gall
France Gall rose to fame in the early 1960s as a teenage sensation and one of the defining voices of the Yé-yé movement, a French pop wave full of youthful energy, color, and a little rebellion.
Her sound was catchy and joyful, and her image was just as iconic. At just 17 years old, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. She represented Luxembourg with “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” (written by Serge Gainsbourg), a playful and ironic song about being a manufactured pop star. It became a defining hit of her career.
Françoise Hardy
Through France, I rediscovered Françoise Hardy, another essential figure of the era. With her introspective lyrics and hauntingly beautiful melodies, Hardy brought a more poetic voice to French pop. She wrote her own songs, dressed in clean silhouettes and trench coats, and moved through the 1960s with effortless cool. She was adored by designers like Paco Rabanne and Yves Saint Laurent and became a muse for decades to come.
Both women captured a moment in time through music and fashion. But they were more than pop stars. Their careers evolved, marked by both triumph and heartbreak. Their stories reflect the challenges women face in carving out artistic identities, and doing so with grace, grit, and impeccable style.
The heart of my Spring POP! Collection is a tribute to these two incredible artists. Their talent, imagery, and ability to create a world through song and dress inspired every piece. I hope this collection carries some of their magic forward, for anyone who loves a little French pop fantasy and wants to dress like it’s 1966.
Lovingly,
– Michelle
PIXIE
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MOD
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BOLD
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PIXIE 〰️ MOD 〰️ BOLD 〰️
Our homage to Twiggy and her beau, Justin de Villeneuve.
Twiggy became the face of 1960s fashion with her bold lashes, pixie haircut, and mod style, redefining beauty standards and ushering in the era of youth driven fashion.
Pieces from The Spring POP! Collection:
Photos: "Mod Boss" by Benjamin Miles | Camera: FujiFilm X100V