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CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Jane Birkin's Hermes bag is going to auction at Sotheby's
The original Hermès Birkin bag, once worn by the late actor and singer Jane Birkin, is heading to auction at Sotheby's this summer. The leather handbag inspired what would be become one of the world's most desired, hard to acquire and priciest fashion accessories. While the auction house resells a range of secondhand Birkin bags, ranging in price from $5,000 to $220,000, there's only one original. "No handbag in the world carries as much cultural significance as the Hermès Birkin. But before it became the ultimate symbol of luxury, the Birkin was born out of necessity — crafted specifically for Jane Birkin herself," Sotheby's said in a statement Thursday announcing the auction. Jane Birkin is pictured with her namesake bag, which is set to go up for auction at Sotheby's this summer. Mike Daines / Shutterstock The original Hermès Birkin bag, which differs slightly form the model sold today, is on item in Sotheby's Fashion Icons auction, which takes place in Paris from June 26 to July 10. In the meantime, the original bag, which belongs to a private collector, will be on display in at the auction house's New York headquarters from June 6 to June 12. Chance encounter Birkin, who died in 2023 at age 76, was known for her artistry and style. In addition to her songs, including recordings with celebrated singer Serge Gainsbourg, she appeared in classic films including Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 "Blow-Up." She was also admired for her political activism, capaigning for Myanmar's pro-democracy movement and the fight against AIDS, among other causes. "Jane Birkin was a French icon because she was the incarnation of freedom, sang the most beautiful words of our language," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media when she died. An errant remark from Birkin to Jean-Louis Dumas, then the head of Hermès, on an Air France flight in 1984 spawned the creation of the Birkin bag, according to Sotheby's. At the time, Birkin complained she couldn't find a bag big enough to accommodate her belongings for daily use. Dumas quickly sketched a bag that he would go on to make, and later name, for her. The bag is now made in a variety of colorways, leather types and sizes based on the prototype Dumas made for the singer. But "the Original Birkin bag is a true one-of-a-kind — a singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible," Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global head of handbags and fashion, said in a statement. Costly, not expensive? Sotheby's has not indicated how much the bag could fetch. A spokesperson for the auction house told CBS MoneyWatch it will provide an estimate to interested parties upon request, noting the bag's exceptional provenance. By comparison, Sotheby's sold Princess Diana's historic black sheep sweater in 2023 for $1.1 million, 14 times its estimate of $80,000. In December, Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas, told "60 Minutes" that the fashion house's leather goods, including the Birkin bag, are as costly as they are because the company refuses to compromise on quality or craftsmanship. He also disputed the notion that Hermès goods are "expensive," while conceding hey are "costly" to make. "The cost is the actual price of making an object properly with the required level of attention, so that you have an object of quality," Dumas told 60 Minutes in the interview. "Expensive is a product which is not delivering what it's supposed to deliver, but you've paid quite a large amount of money for it, then it betrays you. That's expensive." Customers have accused Hermès of deliberately limiting production of Birkin bags, a notion Dumas dismissed as a "diabolical marketing idea" that the company does not employ. Rather, he insisted, the company can't keep up with the enduring demand for the Birkin bag, while only a few craftspeople are trained to make the item.. "Whatever we have, we put on the shelf and it goes," he said.
Vogue Singapore
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Cannes Film Festival: 13 best Palme d'Or winning films to watch now
Seventy-eight years on from the inception of the Cannes Film Festival, its coveted Palme d'Or remains one of the industry's highest honours. The prize has been bestowed upon some of the greatest auteurs in history—Roberto Rossellini, Orson Welles, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Luis Buñuel—and is staunchly global in its outlook, rewarding new releases that take risks and shed light on urgent social issues, regardless of their origin. Amid this year's festival, running from 13 to 24 May, we shortlist 13 previous winners to rewatch now, from a surreal '70s musical to a moving Japanese family drama. 1. La Dolce Vita (1960) Shutterstock There's no better introduction to Federico Fellini's oeuvre than this exuberant masterpiece. Set over seven decadent days in Rome, it follows a world-weary journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) who is chasing stories for his gossip column. The women he pursues are glamorous and enigmatic—Anouk Aimée shines as a jaded heiress—but Anita Ekberg is the most captivating, as a film star who dances late into the night and then wades into the Trevi Fountain in a floor-length ball gown. 2. Blow-Up (1966) Shutterstock Veruschka in a beaded cocktail dress, Vanessa Redgrave in a checked button-down and Jane Birkin in a striped shift—the actors that populate Michelangelo Antonioni's cult classic are as striking as they are stylish. They play the prospective subjects of a fashion photographer (David Hemmings) whose life is disrupted after he stumbles upon a murder scene. It's a thriller that doubles as a vibrant portrait of Swinging London, complete with raucous parties and a rock'n'roll soundtrack. 3. Taxi Driver (1976) Shutterstock Martin Scorsese's account of urban alienation features a career-defining performance from Robert De Niro. Playing a Vietnam War veteran-turned-cab driver, he cruises the streets of New York and is appalled by the corruption and exploitation he encounters. Violence quickly ensues, but there's unexpected beauty to be found in the film's haunting score and hallucinatory visuals: a fever dream of neon signs, rain-splattered sidewalks and steam ominously rising from manhole covers. 4. Apocalypse Now (1979) Shutterstock A soldier (Martin Sheen) travels from Vietnam to Cambodia on a secret mission to assassinate a colonel who has gone rogue (Marlon Brando) in Francis Ford Coppola's electrifying war epic. It is unflinching in its depictions of the horrors of combat, zipping from napalm-strewn fields to jungles engulfed in flames and an airstrike set to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries . Beyond the set pieces, though, it's a meditation on the absurdity of battle and the psychological scars it leaves behind. 5. All That Jazz (1979) Shutterstock Bob Fosse's semi-autobiographical musical extravaganza opens with a flurry of high kicks and jazz hands, but what lies beneath its shiny surface is much more complex. It centres on an eccentric choreographer (Roy Scheider) who is juggling projects on Broadway and in Hollywood, dashing between theatres and editing suites until he slowly loses his grip on reality. There are dreamlike dance sequences, elaborate costumes and bizarre insights into the mind of a creative genius. 6. Kagemusha (1980) Shutterstock In 16th-century Japan, the death of a feudal lord is covered up through the use of a double, a petty thief who bears an uncanny resemblance to him. Both characters are played with relish by Tatsuya Nakadai, in his penultimate collaboration with legendary director Akira Kurosawa. It's a samurai epic that weaves together Shakespearean court intrigue and explosive battles, culminating in a heart-stopping scene in which the impostor finally lets his hubris get the better of him. 7. Paris, Texas (1984) Shutterstock The vast landscapes of the American southwest provide a lyrical backdrop for Wim Wenders' wistful road movie. It begins with a drifter (Harry Dean Stanton) walking alone through the desert. After a mysterious four-year absence, he is discovered by his brother (Dean Stockwell) and sets out to find his long-lost wife (Nastassja Kinski). It's worth watching for the latter's moving, measured performance, not to mention the blunt bob and pink mohair jumper that made her a style icon. 8. The Piano (1993) Shutterstock With this ravishing period drama, Jane Campion became the first, and still the only, female director to win the top prize at Cannes. It features two poignant, Oscar-winning turns: Holly Hunter as a mute Scottish widow and Anna Paquin as her precocious young daughter. They are shipped off to New Zealand after the former is promised in marriage to a landowner, but tragedy looms when she agrees to give piano lessons to a crude forester (Harvey Keitel), with whom she falls in love. 9. Shoplifters (2018) Shutterstock An unconventional family unit is at the heart of Hirokazu Kore-eda's delicate study of poverty in modern-day Tokyo. A gang composed of an elderly matriarch, a couple, a young woman and a boy, they make ends meet by stealing from supermarkets. Soon, they also take in a child (Miyu Sasaki) who they suspect is being abused by her parents. Has she been kidnapped or rescued? The film offers few answers but captivates with its warmth, compassion and clear-eyed view of the world. 10. Parasite (2019) Shutterstock As the first release to win both the Palme d'Or and the Oscar for Best Picture since 1955's Marty , Bong Joon-ho's audacious satire has cemented its place in film history. It's a rip-roaring romp that combines black comedy with Hitchcockian horror and social realism—a fable about two clans, one destitute but ambitious and the other naive and wealthy, whose lives become intertwined. The sets are pristine, the dialogue biting and the overwhelming sense of foreboding undeniable. 11. Titane (2021) In the first few minutes of Julia Ducournau's jaw-dropper, a young girl is severely injured in a car crash and has a titanium plate fitted into her skull. Somehow, this is the least shocking thing to happen in a nerve-jangling thriller that encompasses mass murder, arson and, shall we say, auto erotica as it tracks our heroine as a maladjusted adult (an astounding Agathe Rousselle). It's only the second film helmed by a woman to scoop the prestigious prize, and proof that Cannes is still a place where boundary-pushing work is celebrated. 12. Triangle of Sadness (2022) Courtesy of Everett Collection Ruben Östlund, who received his first Palme d'Or for the side-splitting art world saga The Square , dazzled the festival once more with this deliciously acerbic skewering of global consumer capitalism. Much of the action takes place on a luxury yacht, where a model couple (Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean) find themselves rubbing shoulders with oligarchs, tech bros, and arms dealers—that is, until a storm hits, chaos reigns and a new world order is established. 13. Anatomy of a Fall (2023) Courtesy of Landmark Media Justine Triet, the third female recipient of the Palme d'Or—and later, the Best Original Screenplay Oscar—ratchets up the tension masterfully in this slippery, ice-cold thriller which follows a frustrated novelist (a steely and then explosive Sandra Hüller) accused of murdering her husband (Samuel Theis). As a high-profile trial commences, secret recordings are revealed, facts twisted, and every moment of marital discord dredged up and presented to the jury. It's deftly directed, the script (which zips effortlessly between French and English) is faultless, and every performance expertly judged, from Swann Arlaud as our lead's dashing lawyer and Milo Machado-Graner as her precocious son, to Antoine Reinartz as a quippy prosecutor and Messi the dog, the breakout star of 2024's awards season, as the beleaguered Snoop. This article was originally published on British Vogue.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jazz legend Herbie Hancock to perform in Rockford in fall 2025
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock will perform in Rockford in Fall 2025. Hancock began his career as a pianist at age 11, playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His first album, 'Takin' Off,' was released in 1961, after which Hancock worked with Miles Davis for five years. Recognized as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Hancock explored the use of electronic instruments in his music. In 1983, his single 'Rockit' became a hit on MTV. He also wrote the scores for several films, including Blow-Up (1966), Death Wish (1974), and Round Midnight (1987), for which he won an Academy Award. Hancock has won 12 Grammy Awards over the past 2 decades. Hard Rock Live announced that Hancock will perform at the Hard Rock Casino Rockford on Friday, October 24th. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 4th, on and at the Hard Rock Live box office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Telegraph
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
My film star mum claims I witnessed Burt Reynolds murder her lover
When we think of the great on-set tales from Hollywood history, many of us hold them at a distance, treating them like myths and legends populated by stars who feel so removed from our own lives that they might as well be fictional. That, of course, isn't the case. For every story there's a kernel of truth; for every star there's a real person and a family behind them; for every event there's a witness. I should know, having grown up surrounded by legends. My mother is the actress Sarah Miles, who starred in The Servant and Blow-Up and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for David Lean-directed Ryan's Daughter. My father was Robert Bolt, who wrote the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons, receiving two Oscars and three Golden Globes in the process. This made for an unusual childhood, to put it mildly. As well as in London, I grew up on film sets all over the world, from the Pacific island of Bora Bora, where Dad made The Bounty with David Lean, to Gila Bend, Arizona, where my mother made the Western The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing. The latter took place in 1973, and became the setting for not just that film, but one of Hollywood's greatest unsolved mysteries: when my mother's manager, David Whiting, died on set under circumstances that were, to say the least, suspicious. And 51 years on, I'd be dragged back into it. At that time, I was four years old and fascinated by all things Wild West – an obsession no doubt fermented by my father's enthusiasm for them, as well as our occasional communal viewings of The Magnificent Seven. Given that, you can imagine my reaction when I arrived on set in Arizona and met Burt Reynolds, who was starring with Mum. Reynolds was cool, really cool. When I first met him he was dozing: boots up, hat over face. Once awakened from his slumber, he could tell I wanted to draw – as they say in the Westerns – since I'd been loaned a gun belt and holster from the props department, and my fingers were twitching. As he got up to about-face for the customary 10 paces (and full of fear, I could tell…), he spat out some goop from the corner of his mouth. It was so cool that I stopped the role play to enquire as to what it was and if I could have some. 'It's chewing tobacco,' he said, offering me a bit from a pouch he had tucked into his cowboy boot. Though that's Mum's account – it could have been snuff or even strong gum. Naturally I partook, though of course within 10 seconds I wish I hadn't, such was the fireball that started to rip its way through my face. To this day I still don't remember if we ever got to the draw. Though, yes, perhaps a little irresponsible of him if viewed through today's lens, that was then. Besides, I'd be smoking weed with Mum in only six years' time anyway. I was comfortable on sets at that age, and confident enough around adults to have no reservations about speaking up. During one scene in the film, Burt and Jack Warden were to have a brawl, wrestling over a gun, then punching one another through a sugar-glass window. Given the hours it took to install, you can appreciate that the director was already very grumpy about having messed up the previous take, hence needing this reshoot. 'Action!' The clapperboard snapped down again. As they went bouncing off the walls, smashing props in the process, I suddenly noticed the barrel of the rubber gun they were wrestling over was bent. 'Cut!' I shouted, impulsively, from where I was standing, way behind and to the side of the camera. The sudden silence was deafening. All 30 or so members of the crew looked at me in total disbelief, including my hugely embarrassed mother. 'The rubber gun, it… it's bent in half!' I said, in a trembling voice. Burt glanced at his hand. 'Yup, that's a banana,' he said, holding it aloft to everyone's relieved laughter. He then patted me on the back for having saved yet another false window being smashed or, worse still, another day of costly repetitive filming. The attention felt good. That was the last of the 'good vibes' I remember from that production, as shortly afterwards, David Whiting died. David had been a fairly regular presence in my life over those few years. He'd previously had an affair with my mother, and was the final catalyst of my parents' divorce. A year earlier he was even sent to watch over me while hospitalised in an oxygen tent as Mum and Dad were filming Lady Caroline Lamb with Richard Chamberlain and Sir Laurence Olivier. In the Arizona desert, I was staying in the Travelodge Motel with my nanny in an adjacent, connecting motel room to Mum. It was in Mum's bathroom, on February 11 1973, that David's body was found. How he got there, how he died, and a dozen other questions relating to the evening, have been debated and disputed ever since. Though Mum's version of events has changed over the years, usually meaning they're inconsistent with the many other investigations, both official and journalistic, it is understandable that time might distort the truth. An allegation I might well suffer with the release of my forthcoming book, which is predominantly about recovering from drug addiction. Still, it wouldn't be possible for me to have been clean and sober for 38 years now, having given up drugs and alcohol at 18, should I not practice at least a modicum of self-honesty in my life. I distinctly remember some four years after the event, while living back with Mum again in Beverly Hills, that she suddenly became extremely stressed because there had been some regurgitative press about the incident on American TV. It sent her into a panic – though the strongest finger of suspicion had been pointed at Burt at the time of David's demise, it also wagged at her. The night he died, she had been in Burt's room, after an argument with David. Mum had been at Burt's birthday party, to which a select few were invited, but not David. When she returned, having briefly partied with some wranglers at the hotel afterwards, David, full of rage and jealousy, physically attacked her. Mum screamed for my nanny to fetch Burt, who eventually came to her rescue as David scarpered into the desert night. Burt gave chase, telling Mum to take refuge in his room, but he returned saying he couldn't find David, so they thought it safer if she remained with him. The dark Hollywood legend has it that Burt murdered David Whiting, but given he was fast becoming the hottest property in Hollywood, having just finished Deliverance, he was protected – by MGM, by the studio system and by Hollywood. The movie world was powerful at that time; the local cops of this Hicksville town were no match, it seemed. In the morning after David died, I was playing in Mum's bedroom, having come to look for her. David's body lay in the en suite bathroom. When she discovered the corpse, the scene looked like a perfectly staged overdose: pills scattered around the body, all in keeping with David being manic depressive. The slight problem was that not only was David apparently sporting a new, unstressed shirt, but he had several injuries, along with a gash on the back of his head that seemed consistent with a spur kick. There were also allegedly not enough pills in his system to have caused his death, according to one autopsy. Plus, the pill bottle mysteriously went missing. In the maelstrom and panic after David's body was found, movie moguls, plus the relevant heavy-hitting lawyers who told everyone to say and do nothing with the police until forced, flew in from LA. This being Mum's first Hollywood movie, she was happy to listen to their 'advice'. The death was initially recorded as suicide, but it soon changed to a murder investigation, before reverting again to suicide. Because Mum was also under suspicion, she needed as many character references as she could muster, and so asked Dad to be one. He obliged on the condition that he was given custody over me, as he felt Hollywood was no place for a child (he was proved right in the ensuing years), and even less so with a mother embroiled in a potential murder investigation. Eventually both Mum and Burt had their day in court, but with the support of the studio lawyers, were more than a fair match for the local judge, a part-time plumber who, by most accounts, seemed pretty infatuated with Mum. He didn't stand a chance – though Burt did have to return to Gila Bend to give further evidence three months later. He always denied any involvement. All of this seemed removed from me, despite some strong memories of that time in Arizona. Or it did, at least, until a recent podcast interview in which Mum, who is now 83 and retired, suggested the reason she knows Burt killed David – a belief she firmly holds – is because I told her, which must mean I witnessed it. I don't think for a minute this is true; I think it's just what Mum felt like saying on the spur of the moment in the interview. But it's interesting that I've had a recurring nightmare throughout my life that I've murdered someone. That, and the blanks I feel I needed to fill in about that time in Arizona, is why I found myself on a plane last year to visit the very same motel 51 years later. Who knows, I thought, perhaps it'll all come flooding back and I'll end up handing myself in… In the end, I stayed the night in the very same room where David died. I went in search of closure, more than answers, and in the end, far from handing myself in, I felt remarkably little. Perhaps I was simply too young for any appropriate recall, or maybe there is just too deep-rooted a memory blockage. I am not religious, but in that fateful room in Gila Bend, having spent the night experiencing no ghostly encounters, I said a little prayer where David's body was found. Burt Reynolds died in 2018, and with him, the best shot at the truth about all this. But there are surely people still alive who know what really happened all those years ago. Like so many Hollywood tales, this is a complex, disputed and altogether tragic story. And at its heart is a real person with a family behind them. David Whiting's family lost him that night. He deserves to be remembered.
