Do you remember that scene in Sex and the City where Carrie and Big tumble into the lake? That exact spot – the Central Park Boathouse – became the stage for Veuve Clicquot’s new collaboration with Simon Porte Jacquemus earlier this week. No Carrie, no Big, but another cinematic icon appeared instead: Julia Roberts.
She arrived with her niece, Emma Roberts, alongside Solange Knowles, model Imaan Hammam, and White Lotus star Charlotte Le Bon. Together, they flanked Simon Porte Jacquemus as the Manhattan skyline burned pink in the setting sun.
The collaboration feels inevitable, the kind of partnership that makes you wonder why it hasn’t existed all along. Both Jacquemus and Veuve Clicquot are modern luxury houses rooted in history and romance: both French, both shaped by women (Madame Clicquot, who defied convention to take over the champagne house in 1805, and Jacquemus’ late mother, his eternal muse), and both with an abiding love for yellow. For Veuve Clicquot, the yellow is sunlight in a bottle; for Jacquemus, it’s the eternal glow of Provence.
That solar hue runs throughout the collaboration – as a motif of warmth, joy, and memory. The La Grande Dame 2018 bottle is sheathed in white linen, recalling heirlooms washed, sun-dried and starched with Marseille soap. Its label is inscribed with Jacquemus’ hand-drawn signature, embossed with radiating sunbeams.
“La Grande Dame 2018 is the outcome of simple materials, meaningful gestures, and strong women’s stories,” says Jacquemus. “Ultimately, it’s a celebration of optimistic and memorable moments. From the joyful spirit to the excellence in savoir-faire, I admire and share the same values as Veuve Clicquot.”
Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot, echoes the sentiment: “Central Park felt like the perfect place to celebrate the shared values of Veuve Clicquot and Simon Porte Jacquemus, a landmark in one of the most vibrant and creative cities in the world.”