DRESS TO REMEMBER

Major birthdays, weddings and big family BBQs: You also celebrate life by hanging streamers for milestones. Dress for the occasion, because you not only want to honour the moment, but also keep the memory alive – preferably in an outfit that will go down in your personal history books, that speaks volumes.

Summum has a lot of occasion wear in this edition. A set of sleeveless top and straight-fit trousers with special embroidery looks casually summery with a chic touch. The strength is in the set as a whole; just a shade more festive than wearing the pieces separately, with a T-shirt or denim. Also nice, but slightly toned down for everyday. The long halterneck dress with oversized floral print in deep fig and burnt apricot is just as easy to change from day to night – lose the sandals, wear the
heels.

All those beautiful pictures in this magazine? Taken by Paul Bellaart. What are his memories of Cap Ferret and the Summum shoot?

‘I came to Cap Ferret for the first time a few years ago. Cap Ferret is like a holiday viewing box from the 1970s. A peninsula where you find yourself in another time as soon as you drive up the narrow headland. A simple time with primary colours. Blue for the sea, green for the pine trees, red Renault 4s and yellow striped beach umbrellas.

It’s an environment with a familiar feel to me. I grew up in Zeeland and as a child I used to run around on the beach, in creeks and on drying sandbanks. Everything on Cap Ferret is geared towards holidays or long weekends with family and friends, there are an incredible number of oyster bars and seafood restaurants.

In fact, that’s also how we created this campaign. A report from a long weekend at Cap Ferret. Driving around a bit, getting out when we see something nice, captured like in a holiday photo – 36 pictures on a roll.’

Summer life in Cap Ferret leads past beaches, dunes and wooden fishermen’s huts, where we
enjoy the fresh oyster catch with our feet in the sand. Southwest France is magnifique.

Day 1: Time seems to stand still
The fresh wind blows through our hair and the slightly spicy smell of pine trees mingles with the salty sea air. We feel far from home. Time seems to have stood still on this peninsula surrounded by salt water. Arriving at Cap Ferret feels like you can just relax and do nothing for a while. The bright red Le Phare, the lighthouse that looks straight out of a Wes Anderson film, towers above everything. Logical, since that is, after all, its function as a beacon for sailors at sea to help them recognise the cape from afar. The fire alarm red colour also send us a signal: it’s time to explore the cape at our leisure.

Our hotel is located in the village of L’Herbe, and Hôtel de la Plage is – how could it be otherwise – on the beach, cycling distance from the town centre of Cap Ferret. Since L’Herbe is a traditional oyster village, we first go in search of fresh catch. On the coast, we can already see the famous cabanes tchanquées, wooden oyster huts on stilts.

Day 2: Surf's up

While Cap Ferret, with its chic, sophisticated locals, is sometimes referred to as the Hamptons of France, we also spot laidback, sun-tanned surfers who create a bohemian atmosphere. They appear to be heading to the west of the cape, where quite a few good waves roll onto the sandy
white beach at Plage du Truc Vert. We might take a surf lesson at La Surferie later. But first we unfold the beach umbrella, finally open the book we’ve been wanting to read for so long – and maybe even fall asleep for a while.

In the fishing village of Le Canon we feast our eyes, zigzagging between wooden fishermen’s huts via car-free dirt paths and narrow alleys. Hidden behind the family farm and right on the waterfront, we enjoy oysters, shrimps and shellfish on the wooden deck overlooking the
bay. Passing petanque-playing locals, we walk to the town centre of Cap Ferret in search of something sweet.

Day 3: The crossing

It’s already our last day on the cape, but that shouldn’t spoil the fun. We make a crossing. In just under half an hour, the Navette ferry takes us to Arcachon, the town on the other side, from which the Bassin d’Arcachon takes its name, the bay that lies on the cape’s east coast. From here, you can see the Dune du Pilat beckoning in the distance. Europe’s highest sand dune almost seems
like a mirage under the sun’s spotlight. We discover that a hundred and fifty-step staircase leads to the highest point of the dune. You guessed it: The descent is a lot easier AND more fun than the climb up.

Locals gave us a tip for a dream of a hotel, where we spent our last night. ‘Compagnie Generale Des Eaux’ appears in white letters on the façade of the building that, in 2026, is a meeting place for travelling and tranquility-seeking writers, painters, musicians and artists. We hardly want to leave, but we decide to go to Club Plage Pereire – the hotel’s own beach club – to usher in our last evening. And this is where we order our last round of oysters, in an attempt to kick our habit. We raise our shells in a toast at sunset, to a French
summer to remember.