Rabanne Resort 2026: Françoise Forever

A year after the passing of Françoise Hardy, her style continues to inspire designers — none more so than Julien Dossena, the guardian of the Space Age label forever associated with the ‘60s French pop icon.

Hardy sent shockwaves around the world when she arrived at an event in 1968 in an armored truck, wearing a gold metal minidress designed by Paco Rabanne. It was said to weigh a cool 20 pounds, was billed as the world’s most expensive dress, and she wore it with bare legs and gold ballet flats.

Those seeking to channel the singer’s timeless French girl style can achieve a similar effect with Dossena’s resort collection for the Rabanne label, which features a variety of sparkly party dresses worn with the same nonchalant ease — only this time, no wrench required.

For his eveningwear capsule, set to land in stores just in time for the holidays, he offered a cropped T-shirt and low-slung skirt glistening with oversized burgundy sequins layered on a stretch net base. Meanwhile, the brand’s signature chain mail was draped into bias-cut dresses inspired by another fashion pioneer, Madeleine Vionnet.

“It’s really about playing with time codes,” he explained. “Working with it in this way makes it much more contemporary.”

Dossena loves a mash-up, and this lineup was a condensé of his signature bourgeois-grunge, masculine-feminine aesthetic.

He subverted preppy codes with looks like a striped polo shirt worn with a poufy cotton poplin skirt in boxer short stripes, and a glossy caramel bomber jacket.

If thigh-grazing hemlines are not your thing, there were below-the-knee options such as a brown mock croc skirt with jean pocket details and belt loops, paired with a mint green sweater with a trompe-l’oeil chain neckline.

The looks were accessorized with variations on the brand’s recently introduced Ring bag, including a medium version in the shade of the year, butter yellow. New this season was the footwear, which the label is bringing to market for the first time.

Dossena has revived a silver sequined crossover flat, a runway style from a few years ago, as one of his inaugural styles. “We made some very beautiful shoes and I’m delighted that customers can finally have access to them,” he said.

The shoe was paired with everything from a striped chain mail tank dress, casually layered over a striped T-shirt, to a more glammed-up silver chain mail party dress topped with a windbreaker. Hardy would surely approve.