Belle du Jour

French film versus filing... I pick...French film.

I know that Christmas is well and truly over when I begin to dismantle the decorations and start worrying about French accounting. January is the month that I have to organize my accounts for the last year and present them to le comptable.  Accounts are not my strong point nor do they fascinate me like they should and nor should I leave them to the very last minute...but I have (always do) and so I made a little bargain with myself. 

If I manage to get through a suitable amount of my files during the day I will allow myself the luxury of watching a favourite French movie late in the afternoon. I know, indulgent you think, but I am up and at the desk pretty early so I reason it is fair and beneficial in the late afternoon if I watch my cinematic treat. After all it is the incentive I need to start back at the desk the next day....Right?

My first re-watch yesterday was the very beautiful Catherine Deneuve in Belle du Jour, the 1967 movie by Spanish director Louis Bunuel.

Belle du Jour was nominated for a Bafta film award and the recipient of four European awards in 1969. The title means daylight beauty and refers to a flower that blooms only during the day and seemingly 'belle du jour is' a play on the phrase, 'belle de nuit' which translates as lady of the night.

Catherine Deneuve plays a young and beautiful Parisian housewife, who has a fear of intimacy with her husband, so takes up a secret life as an escort in the afternoons.

The Parisian locations and sets are well worth a watch but the real star of this movie is Catherine Deneuve's wardrobe designed by the late Yves Saint-Laurent. During the filming of Belle du Jour they formed a friendship that would last for his lifetime. As his muse, she continued to model for him and wear his creations in many of her film roles.

The dresses and the coats worn in this film are some of Yves Saint-Laurent's finest work and are the designs that he is best remembered for. Timeless and elegant, Catherine Deneuve looks stylish and chic in every scene and her wardrobe would be easily wearable today. Even her Fez like and pill box hats are fabulous, not to mention the Roger Vivier pumps, signature black clutch and oversized sunglasses. 

In 2002 American director Martin Scorsese promoted a release of Belle du Jour on DVD so if you haven't seen it before, take a look. It is a little '60's French erotic', which seems outdated now, but it is worth the plot to soak up Catherine Deneuve's wardrobe. 

Me, I would wear it all.