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Catherine Deneuve Opens Paris Store Printemps' Holiday Display

French actress Catherine Deneuve poses as she takes part in the Christmas window display ceremony at the Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris on November 9, 2023. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
French actress Catherine Deneuve poses as she takes part in the Christmas window display ceremony at the Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris on November 9, 2023. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
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Catherine Deneuve Opens Paris Store Printemps' Holiday Display

French actress Catherine Deneuve poses as she takes part in the Christmas window display ceremony at the Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris on November 9, 2023. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
French actress Catherine Deneuve poses as she takes part in the Christmas window display ceremony at the Printemps Haussmann department store in Paris on November 9, 2023. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

French actress Catherine Deneuve kicked off the holiday shopping season in Paris on Thursday, presiding over a ribbon-snipping ceremony for the Christmas window displays of department store Printemps.
The Boulevard Haussmann store was outfitted with tags that fluttered under the awning, while puppet seagulls and owls made of paper flapped in the windows among piles of wish lists, Reuters reported.
"It's a very poetic idea," Deneuve said, of the store's displays.
European retailers are entering the crucial end-of-year season after a difficult September, which was unusually warm, making it hard to sell winter collections as rising living costs have cut spending on fashion and accessories.
Cooler weather in October and November contributed to a rebound in sales, however, according to Stephane Roth, general manager marketing, communication and architecture of the Printemps group.
Deneuve, 80, who plays the role of former French lady Bernadette Chirac in the satire film "Bernadette" released this year, said she had not started planning the holidays, which she usually spends in the countryside with family.
"I've not prepared anything --it's only November," Deneuve told Reuters, adding that she keeps large boxes of decorations for her Christmas tree, which she likes to reach the ceiling.
As for holiday meals, Deneuve said it was best to "stick with the classics", including foie gras and chestnuts.

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Fashion

80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
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80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

L.L. Bean created it 80 years ago to haul heavy blocks of ice. Now it's a must-have summer fashion accessory, The Associated Press reported.

The simple, sturdy canvas bag called the Boat and Tote is having an extended moment 80 years after its introduction, thanks to a social media trend in which they're monogrammed with ironic or flashy phrases.

New Yorker Gracie Wiener helped get it started by ordering her humble bags from L.L. Bean monogrammed with “Psycho” and then “Prada,” the pricey Italian luxury brand, instead of just her name or initials, and posting about them on Instagram. Then others began showcasing their own unique bags on TikTok.

Soon, it wasn’t enough to have a bag monogrammed with “Schlepper,” “HOT MESS,” “slayyyy” or “cool mom.” Customers began testing the limits of the human censors in L.L. Bean’s monogram department, which bans profanity “or other objectionable words or phrases,” with more provocative wording like “Bite me,” “Dum Blonde” and “Ambitchous.”

Social media fueled the surge, just as it did for Stanley’s tumblers and Trader Joe’s $2.99 canvas bags, which were once selling on eBay for $200, said Beth Goldstein, an analyst at Circana, which tracks consumer spending and trends.
The tote’s revival came at a time when price-conscious consumers were forgoing expensive handbags, sales of which have weakened, and L.L. Bean’s bag fit the bill as a functional item that’s trendy precisely because it’s not trendy, she said. L.L. Bean's regular bags top out at about $55, though some fancier versions cost upward of $100.
“There’s a trend toward the utilitarian, the simple things and more accessible price points,” she said, and the customization added to the appeal: “Status items don’t have to be designer price points.”

L.L. Bean’s tote was first advertised in a catalog as Bean’s Ice Carrier in 1944 during World War II, when ice chests were common. Then they disappeared before being reintroduced in 1965 as the Boat and Tote.

These days, they’re still made in Maine and are still capable of hauling 500 pounds of ice, but they are far more likely to carry laptops, headphones, groceries, books, beach gear, travel essentials and other common items.

Those snarky, pop-oriented phrases transformed them into a sassy essential and helped them spread beyond Maine, Massachusetts’ Cape Cod and other New England enclaves to places like Los Angeles and New York City, where fashionistas like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker are toting them — but not necessarily brandished with ironic phrases.

“It’s just one of those things that makes people smile and makes people laugh, and it’s unexpected,” said Wiener, who got it all started with her @ironicboatandtote Instagram page, which she started as a fun side hustle from her job as social media manager for Air Mail, a digital publication launched by former Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter.

The folks at L.L. Bean were both stunned and pleased by the continuing growth. For the past two years, the Boat and Tote has been L.L. Bean’s No. 1 contributor to luring in new customers, and sales grew 64% from fiscal years 2021 to 2023, spokesperson Amanda Hannah said.

The surge in popularity is reminiscent of L.L. Bean’s traditional hunting shoe, the iconic staple for trudging through rain and muck, which enjoyed its own moment a few years back, driven by college students.