Late Nite Mix: French Yé-yé

Françoise Madeleine Hardy, French pop chanteuse

Just when your 256th listen to your electronica/shoegaze playlist starts bringing you back to earth (meaning, it temporarily loses its novelty), sixties girly French pop fondly called Yé-yé pops you back to aural heaven. Girls crooning in heartbreak/with hope/with sheer innocence produces nothing short of cinematic soundscapes smelling of vanilla, cinnamon, and Gitanes.

Marie Laforet

France Gall

Francoise Hardy photographed by Jean-Marie Perier

Sylvia Vartan

What makes this entire Yé-yé movement equally interesting as the music, is the fashion. Aren’t these girls looking fab? In my wiki-research, Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière even cites Françoise Hardy as a style influence.

Metallics in Balenciaga S/S 08 Collection, with our Yé-yé muse as inspiration. Yéah!

More Yé-yé stuff here, here, and here. Amusez-vous bien!

Mad props to lastfm.com for most photos.