Deauville, o Deauville. Scene of films, world-famous pictures and extravagant parties of the rich and famous. A place with a rich history. It is no coincidence that Summum chose this very seaside resort as the backdrop for its new summer collection. Because where better to showcase the French je ne sais quoi of style icons like Jane Birkin and Catherine Deneuve than here?

Deauville is located on France's Normandy coast. The place gained international fame in the late 19th century, when it received a direct train connection to Paris at the hands of the Duke of Morny. Until then, Deauville had been little more than a rustic farming village, but that easy route to the coast made it the favourite destination for Parisian high society and foreign aristocrats. Needless to say, there was a lot of construction to cater to all the guests from afar, and it is that Belle Époque architecture which gives Deauville its unprecedented grandeur and majestic appearance – nowadays also with a little help from all the luxury boutiques and popular restaurants with a world-famous clientele. What has definitely put Deauville on the map as the place to spot film stars at parties – or with a bit of luck: in the wild – is the annual Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville (Deauville American Film Festival), founded in 1975. It is the second most renowned film festival in Europe after the Cannes Film Festival, designed to showcase American cinema. The festival attracts thousands of cinephiles every year, and many young upcoming talents have been discovered here.

Yet the stunning architecture, metreslong pearly white-sand beaches with the photogenic boardwalk with changing booths and fashionable parties are not the French coastal town’s only attraction. Indeed, Deauville also has a rich history associated with several iconic names in art and fashion. Famous fashion designer Coco Chanel opened her very first boutique here in 1913, on Rue Lucien Barrière. This venue marked the beginning of her revolutionary style, in which sailor jumpers, tweed and jersey set the tone for a simple, bold look that freed women from their hitherto literally tight straitjacket, with constricted bodice and long skirt. ‘In their harness where the bosom bulges and so does their rear, tightened at the waist until they are almost halved,’ Coco Chanel disdainfully describes that look. Chanel’s high-profile designs still resonate, especially in a seaside resort like this one, where the Breton striped jumper is considered a forever basic that, with the right styling, elevates you from casual to subtly chic in no time. The house of Chanel also retains its Deauville connection, as evidenced by the shoot on the beach, a few metres from where Summum shot its summer 2024 collection. 

The famous painter Claude Monet knew like no other how to capture that magnificent light on the Côte Fleurie with his brushes. The Impressionist often painted scenes of the bustling beach life that had emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As did his colleague Boudin, who praised Honfleur’s clean air. That atmosphere of those days – still to be admired in the paintings of the great masters – can be found in Honfleur and Deauville. Just walk along the boardwalk by the beach (the famous Planches) with the changing booths with names and the rows of coloured umbrellas and private tents. You won’t find a more beautiful Art Deco scene than here.