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PARIS, JULY 2025: The afternoon sun—warm and balmy—bathed the majestic Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysées as ELLE editors from 41 countries made their way to ELLE’s 80th anniversary party. “She’s so magnificent,” one marvelled as they peered out the car window.
Eight decades in publishing is no small feat in the boom-and-bust cycle that plagues the industry. Since 1945, ELLE—in all its various accents—has held firm as the magazine for young, stylish and spirited women, packing a punch with its uniquely youthful and joyful lens on fashion and features. In 1964, Time Magazine wrote of ELLE’s founding editor Hélène Gordon-Lazareff’s influence: “That sudden hemline plunge that Dior called the New Look did not descend from the salons to the boulevards until Hélène had endorsed it in the pages of her magazine.”
Today, that influence runs deep. With 250 million people reached every month, ELLE is one of the most influential media brands in the world. Indeed, there’s something about marking such a milestone in a city which embraces its storied heritage on the daily. Paris knows how special these moments are—fittingly so, as Paris is where ELLE began.
SHOP RABANNE NOW AT DAVID JONES
Arriving at the prestigious Parisian auction house, Artcurial, editors mingled over champagne in its courtyard. The dress code for the evening was “Iconic Fashion”—and for me, there’s nothing more legendary than French Maison’s Rabanne’s chain-disc minis. In fact, Paco Rabanne held his first runway show just 11-minute from here at Hotel George V in 1966. The collection featured barefoot models walking in dresses made from rhodoid lamella or disks linked by metal rings. At the time, it was deemed radical! Unconventional! Futuristic! In the years following, Mr. Rabanne was named a cocreator of the 1960s Space Age movement (along with André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin).
I’d been waiting so long for an occasion to wear a Rabanne chain-disc number, and well, this was perfect. (I was lucky enough to wear a few more Rabanne pieces across my weekend in Paris. A spritz of the Maison’s Million Gold For Her Eau de Parfum and I was a Rabanne girl for many an evening. Take a look.)
SHOP RABANNE NOW AT DAVID JONES
As a new editor, being in this room with this crowd was a huge honour. It was inspiring, and it also really hammered home just how powerful the ELLE masthead truly is.
A special note: To celebrate 80 years, 31 female artists from all over the world have been invited to create unique works inspired by the values cherished by ELLE. These creations, kindly donated by the artists, will be revealed at a travelling exhibition to be held in Osaka, Bangkok, New York and Paris. They will then be showcased in the French capital during a week-long exhibition from 7 to 14 November 2025 at Artcurial. You’ll find it on the famed Champs-Elysées roundabout.
With love always,
Jessica
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