Part 6 will be available soon.
Part 6 will be available soon.
The Summer of 1945
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Part 6 will be available soon.
In 1945, 'Elle' instantly set a new standard for French women's magazines
Series'The Summer of 1945' (4/6). Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, who spent much of World War Two in the United States, returned to France with fresh ideas for the press. She promised her readers 'seriousness in frivolity, irony in gravity.'
A young, smiling blonde woman holding a ginger cat lights up the cover. Dressed in a top hat and a red jacket with a slightly military style and a fitted waist, she is a reminder that the war was not far behind. Her pose is not stiff; the cat is trying to escape from her arms, while the explosion of colors hints at a longing for cheerfulness after the dark years. This first issue of Elle hit newsstands on November 21, 1945, and French women, eager to break free from the constraints of the prewar era, snatched it up.
Created by Hélène Gordon-Lazareff, the wife of Pierre Lazareff, who ran the newspaper France-Soir, the magazine was only 24 pages due to paper rationing. However, it immediately displayed its modernity on the cover by depicting a woman in motion. At that time, women's magazines usually only depicted women as static and objectified. Readers found an innovative blend of fashion and practical advice, as well as news and culture, inside. Despite shortages and ration cards, the magazine aimed to help French women find entertainment and dress well.
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