La Piscine (1969)
Costumes by: André Courrèges
Directed by: Jacques Deray
This movie be for you if: you love a man in short shorts, you thrive on sexual tension, and believe a chic mini dress is appropriate funeral attire.
Where to watch: currently included in subscriptions for the Criterion Collection and HBO Max. Available for rent on various other platforms.
If I were to pick a piece of media that I think best captures the feeling of the end of summer, it would be Jacques Deray’s 1969 thriller La Piscine. The story begins by the film’s namesake pool, sun-drenched and rippling, presenting a tense heat chilled by the ever-present sense that the warmth may fade at any moment. The characters move through various states of undress as their relationships unfold, using exposed - or unexposed - skin as a central metaphor for vulnerability and intimacy.
The costume designer for La Piscine was famed French fashion designer André Courrèges. Courrèges launched his namesake fashion house in 1961 after a decade under Balenciaga, and had risen to the status of fashion revolutionary by the mid 1960’s. By the time filming for La Piscine began, Courrèges was a household name in France.
Many of Courrèges’ signature styles appear throughout La Piscine, including designs like mini skirts, stark white dresses, women’s trousers, and semi-fitted dresses.
Though British designer Mary Quant is widely credited with inventing the mini skirt (in mass-market fashion), shorter hemlines were a 1960’s trademark also pioneered by André Courrèges. The famous Moon Girl collection, released by Courrèges in the spring of 1964, garnered international acclaim for his groundbreaking Space Age style and its inclusion of very short hems. Not only did his models sport an array of above-the-knee looks, but many of the legs beneath were entirely free of tights or nylons.
La Piscine’s wardrobe palette consists primarily of neutrals like white, black, blue, and brown, with occasional splashes of warm colors and bold prints in line with popular 1960’s design.
The movie stars Romy Schneider (Marianne) and Alain Delon (Jean-Paul), supported by Maurice Ronet (Harry) and Jane Birkin (Penelope). The women’s poolside attire features a timeless collection of black and white bikinis and one pieces in sensual cuts with interesting hardware details.
Though there are plenty of voyeuristic shots of Schneider and Birkin, the film offers just as much focus on Delon’s body. Jean-Paul spends the first half of the movie walking around in not much more than his very short, colorful shorts and a bright green towel. Harry, by contrast, is relaxed but not so uncovered. Both men expose bare chests in deeply unbuttoned shirts, but Ronet sports a striped terry cloth robe when they lounge poolside.
Alain Delon had been firmly planted in stardom for years before La Piscine, regarded as one of Europe’s best leading men and beloved as an international sex symbol. The actor was no stranger to style, seemingly wearing several of his own pieces during filming.
Delon was photographed with Brigette Bardot in August of 1968, on a boat in Saint-Tropez, the same month that filming for La Piscine began on the Côte d’Azur. Delon wore the same colorful shorts that appear in the film, indicating that they were likely brought on set from his personal wardrobe.
Delon also wore his personal Vuarnet Legend 06 sunglasses in the opening scene. The introduction is loaded with symbolism, continually served in the form of a seriously incredible line up of 60’s sunglasses. Every pair is a hit, and there are a lot more of them than you typically see in one movie.
A Reddit user also ID’d Delon’s blocky square frames, a personal favorite, as the Sophia Sport by Pierre Marly. There are quite a few vintage pairs of Marlys available online, but at a hefty price!
La Piscine was only the second major acting role for then 22-year-old Jane Birkin, who plays the 18-year-old Penelope. Birkin had previously appeared in very minor parts in movies like The Idol (1966) Blow Up (1966), only appearing as characters titled “A Blonde” and “The Blonde” respectively. Her first major acting role was as Penny Lane in 1968’s Wonderwall, released only months prior to filming for La Piscine.
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