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French actor, singer, and animal rights activist, Brigitte Bardot remains one of the most celebrated fashion icons. A woman whose image still defines effortless French style.
She was only twenty-two when Roger Vadim’s camera found her on a St. Tropez beach. Not long after, Brigitte Bardot—or BB, as the French press christened her—became a global sex symbol of the twentieth century, due in no small part to her sensual femininity, alluring gaze, and feline beauty.
Bardot’s distinctive style embodied the bohemian spirit of Paris in the ’50s and ’60s. Ballet flats, gingham skirts, and off-the-shoulder tops were just a few of her signatures. All contributing to her playful, feminine, yet sultry look.
Decades on, her influence has not dimmed. Designers from Isabel Marant to Simon Porte Jacquemus continue to take inspiration from her Côte d’Azur glamour, while today’s French it-girls channel the same insouciance that made Bardot unforgettable.
Ahead, discover the 10 wardrobe essentials that defined Brigitte Bardot style, and why they still feel impossibly chic today.
1. Gingham
No print is more associated with Brigitte Bardot than gingham. She famously wore a pink Vichy check shirtdress—a modest, lace-trimmed number by Jacques Esterel—for her 1959 marriage to Jacques Charrier, and its effect on the fashion (and bridal) industry was immediate. Gingham sold out across France.
That same year, she cemented the trend further by wearing a gingham swing skirt as Virginie in Voulez-vous danser avec moi? (Come Dance with Me) It is no exaggeration to say she made a tablecloth fabric into a symbol of glamour.
2. Sundresses
Long before boho-chic had its moment (or its many, many moments) Bardot was already living the aesthetic. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, she was regularly photographed in loose, flowing dresses. From billowy maxis with crochet details to floral minis in the sun-washed tones of the South of France, BB’s best dresses are basically a cheat sheet for the perfect summer wardrobe.
Even before she embraced the bohemian style, Bardot was wearing feminine sundresses in the 1950s. In her 1958 film The Bride Is Too Beautiful, she wore a blue gingham dress with a tiered skirt. A year later, the Spanish-set La Femme et le Pantin gave her wardrobe a vibrant new dimension, with a series of colorful, full-skirted dresses.
3. Ballet Flats
Brigitte Bardot trained as a ballet dancer from a young age. At the time, Repetto shoes were worn almost exclusively by the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet—until Bardot changed that.
The story goes that she approached founder Rose Repetto in 1956 and asked her to create a flat she could wear on screen and off. The result was the Cendrillon, a simple, round-toed ballet flat in soft leather, and it became as synonymous with her image as her wild blonde mane. The ballet flat has been a cornerstone of the quintessential French-girl look ever since.
4. Bandeau
If you’ve ever needed a reason to watch a French New Wave film, Brigitte Bardot in Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (1963) is it. Her leonine beauty steals practically every scene, and it’s here that one of her most copied accessories makes its most memorable appearance: the headband.
She famously dons a striped Breton top with a navy cardigan, and the cherry on top? An ultra-thick bandeau pulling back her tousled tresses. It’s no surprise it became the quintessential summer hair accessory—and one of the easiest parts of Bardot’s look to make your own.
5. Off-the-Shoulder Top
The silhouette that’s instantly associated with Brigitte Bardot’s iconic looks is the off-the-shoulder top. She wore it so consistently that the wide, swooping neckline that slips off one or both shoulders now officially bears her name: the Bardot neckline.
The style itself originated in the Regency and Victorian eras when exposed necklines were popular, but it was Bardot who resurrected it as a ‘60s fashion statement.
One of her most iconic early moments came at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival, where she turned heads in a bright red off-the-shoulder top that slipped from both shoulders. It was considered quite daring at the time, but by today’s standards, it’s a perfect example of showing just enough skin without going too far. Timeless, then and now.
6. Straw Hat
Few accessories say “French Riviera summer” quite like a straw hat, and Bardot certainly knew how to wear one with panache. Under the fierce sun of the Côte d’Azur, it was her armour against the heat and, one suspects, a convenient shield against the relentless attention that followed her everywhere.
She could be seen in mostly wide-brimmed styles, both off set and on. In Viva Maria (1965), she and Jeanne Moreau wore matching straw hats—just one of several coordinated looks the French duo shared throughout the film. In Louis Malle’s Vie Privée (1962), she opted for a flower-adorned style that was every bit as romantic as the film itself.
7. Sailor Shirt
The marinière, the striped Breton sailor shirt, had been a staple of French workwear for over a century when Bardot pulled it on and made it famous.
Even though it hailed from the Brittany region of France, it became popular in the Mediterranean. And as the ultimate poster girl for Riviera-chic, it was only natural that she often wore the classic sailor-style shirts—usually paired with capri pants and her footwear of choice: Repetto flats.
The marinière is still a French wardrobe icon today, and honestly, one of the easiest pieces to incorporate into your own rotation.
8. Bikinis
It is impossible to discuss Brigitte Bardot without addressing the bikini, which she helped popularize across Europe. The bikini had existed since 1946, but it was Bardot, wearing one in her film Manina, the Girl in the Bikini in 1952, who introduced the look to international audiences. Her subsequent appearances on the beaches of Saint-Tropez did the rest, persuading a generation of women that the bikini wasn’t scandalous, just common sense.
Floral, ruffled, or monochrome, most of her swimwear was quite simple. One of her most iconic looks was a little white bikini trimmed with broderie anglaise that remains just as covetable today as it was then. Browse all of BB’s beach looks to inspire your summer vacation style.
9. Retro Sunglasses
Bardot’s sunglasses were, like everything else about her, seemingly effortless. Known for her so-called “bohemian-chic” style, she favored oversized frames that were popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s: sexy cat-eyes, thick white squares, and smoked round lenses. Her selection of sunnies somehow managed to obscure her famous features while making her even more recognisable.
The good news is that this is one of the easiest parts of Bardot’s look to steal. Anything with vintage flair will likely do the trick.
10. Thigh High Boots
Most of BB’s iconic looks tend to skew warm-weather, but her style influence didn’t stop in September. When the temperature dropped, Bardot often sported thigh-high boots. She was among the first style icons to fully commit to the dramatically tall silhouette in the 1960s, pairing them with microskirts and mini dresses.
Her definitive thigh-high boot moment came in 1967 when she wore a buttery leather mini dress and matching cuissardes in Serge Gainsbourg’s “Harley Davidson” video. It was equal parts rock n’ roll and bohemian cool, and it gave the thigh-high boot a cult status it has never lost.
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What do you think of Brigitte Bardot’s style? Which fashion icon should I create a style guide for next? Let me know in the comments below.
