French Lessons: The 50 Chicest French Women Ever
America’s got Hollywood glamour and the girl-next-door, Britain’s rife with royals and the English Rose, but it’s France that holds the secrets of chic. From jeune filles to grandes dames, French women’s innate élan borders on the cliché. Some Parisiennes are born, others are made — but they all know a dozen ways to knot an Hermès scarf, and to make the effort necessary to look effortless. Plus, they famously “don’t get fat.”
The je ne sais quoi that sets a mademoiselle apart is her nonchalance — an attitude that only seems uncalculated. She chooses style over trends, shops for quality at any price, embraces her imperfections, and accepts her age. Her makeup is ever-present, but understated; her hair, laissez-faire. Sometimes she smokes, but when she does, it’s unapologetically. She considers her appearance a matter of etiquette and a measure of self-respect.
That’s the basis of the chic mystique — the Gallic guidelines that have made generations of women appear enviably elegant. So, as we wrap up Men’s Fashion Week in Paris and approach another ravissant season of haute couture – in Paris, naturellement – here are 50 variations on the theme: gamines and ingénues; visionary couturières and dashing bohémiennes; Rive Gauche intellectuals and unabashed femmes fatales, all united by their enduring chic.
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764) Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was dressed as a shepherdess at the Clipped Yew Tree Ball ...
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1721-1764) Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was dressed as a shepherdess at the Clipped Yew Tree Ball (1745) when she met King Louis XV (he was disguised as a tree). The King bought her the title of Marquise de Pompadour and installed her as his maîtresse-en-titre — a position she held even after their physical liaison cooled. An influential rococo tastemaker, Madame de Pompadour helped design the Petit Trianon, established the Sèvres porcelain factory, and championed Voltaire and Boucher. Photo: Hulton Archive
Anouk Aimée (b. 1932) Scouted on the streets of Paris at 14, Anouk Aimée starred in over 70 films. She gained international at...
Anouk Aimée (b. 1932) Scouted on the streets of Paris at 14, Anouk Aimée starred in over 70 films. She gained international attention as the haughty Maddalena in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and garnered an Oscar nomination for Un Homme et Une Femme. Aimée also appeared in Robert Altman’s fashion industry satire Prêt-à-Porter. With a career spanning eight decades, she epitomizes her own maxim: “You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older.” Photo: Bert Stern/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) Now the oldest fashion house in Paris, Lanvin began as a millinery firm in 1889. Madame Lanvin moved into childre...
Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946) Now the oldest fashion house in Paris, Lanvin began as a millinery firm in 1889. Madame Lanvin moved into childrenswear when dresses she’d made for her daughter began attracting attention. She was soon dressing the mothers, too, in her simply shaped but intricately embellished robes de style. When she added menswear in 1926, Lanvin became the first couturière to outfit the entire family. Photo: Boris Lipnitzki / Roger-Viollet / The Image Works
Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes (b. 1929) Born on Bastille Day, Jacqueline de Ribes was described by Yves Saint Laurent as “an ivory unicorn.” ...
Comtesse Jacqueline de Ribes (b. 1929) Born on Bastille Day, Jacqueline de Ribes was described by Yves Saint Laurent as “an ivory unicorn.” Known for her swanlike neck, her aristocratic profile, and enviable mane, de Ribes was photographed by Richard Avedon, Horst P. Horst, and Irving Penn. She famously cut up three couture gowns to concoct her costume for Baron Alexis de Redé’s Bal Oriental, and was named to the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1962. Photo: David Lees/David Lees
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) &nbs...
Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) A granddaughter of Fragonard and sister-in-law of Manet, Berthe Morisot was an accomplished artist in her own right. Her work was regularly exhibited at the Salon de Paris until 1874, when she opted instead to show alongside Monet, Degas, and Cézanne in the first independent exhibition of Impressionist painting. Morisot was featured in all but one of the Impressionists’ eight shows (held between 1874 and 1886) — she missed 1877 while pregnant — and outsold Monet and Renoir in her lifetime. Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Mistinguett (1875-1956) A star of stage and screen, Mistinguett (born Jeanne Bourgeois) was once the highest-paid female entertainer in the world...
Mistinguett (1875-1956) A star of stage and screen, Mistinguett (born Jeanne Bourgeois) was once the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Her risqué routines captivated audiences at the Casino de Paris and the Moulin Rouge. The cabaret queen’s legendary legs were insured for 500,000 francs, and her towering headdresses have become a showgirl staple. Maurice Chevalier, the entertainer and Mistinguett’s ex, said of her: “She was Paris, the symbol of gaiety and good humor and courage and heart.” Photo: Gilles Petard/1910 Gilles Petard
Brigitte Bardot (b. 1934) And God Created Woman. Her name: Brigitte Bardot. The original “sex kitten” was discovered by director — and futur...
Brigitte Bardot (b. 1934) And God Created Woman. Her name: Brigitte Bardot. The original “sex kitten” was discovered by director — and future husband — Roger Vadim on the cover of Elle. With her feral pout and tousled mane, Bardot exuded a naïve sensuality that was irresistible. A former dancer, she popularized shoulder-baring “Bardot” necklines and asked Repetto to make her slippers to wear on the street; the birth of the ballet flat. Photo: Hulton Archive
Carine Roitfeld (b. 1954) Carine Roitfeld sexed up Gucci and YSL during the Tom Ford era, before becoming editor-in-chief at Vogue Paris. Pu...
Carine Roitfeld (b. 1954) Carine Roitfeld sexed up Gucci and YSL during the Tom Ford era, before becoming editor-in-chief at Vogue Paris. Pushing the envelope with her provocative, sometimes controversial brand of “porno chic,” Roitfeld’s Vogue hit record circulation. Resigning after a decade in her “golden cage,” the editrix is now busier than ever — publishing a monograph, Irreverent; running her own biannual magazine, CR Fashion Book; and working as Global Fashion Director of Harper’s Bazaar.
Photo: Kirstin Sinclair/2012 Kirstin Sinclair
Emmanuelle Alt (b. 1967) Unlike her predecessor, French Vogue editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt believes “you can make very strong fashion...
Emmanuelle Alt (b. 1967) Unlike her predecessor, French Vogue editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt believes “you can make very strong fashion pictures without shocking.” The editors’ personal styles are also at odds. At a lanky 6 feet, Alt favors a no-nonsense garçonne uniform of slim pants, button-downs, and blazers. Eschewing skirts and dresses, she wears minimal makeup and her hair loose, proving that sometimes simple is best. Photo: Jacopo Raule/2012 Jacopo Raule
Colette (1873-1954) A prolific author, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was a defiantly independent woman. Thrice married, Colette flaunted her lesbian ...
Colette (1873-1954) A prolific author, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was a defiantly independent woman. Thrice married, Colette flaunted her lesbian affairs, and romanced her stepson. She wrote an opera with Ravel, was a confidante of Cocteau, and was banned from the Moulin Rouge after her onstage lesbian kiss nearly started a riot. Most famous for her novella Gigi — adapted as a play, musical, and film — Colette is also credited with discovering Audrey Hepburn.
Photo: Apic/©Rue des Archives/PVDE
Inès de la Fressange (b. 1957) The face of Chanel in the eighties, Inès de la Fressange serves as brand ambassador for Ro...
Inès de la Fressange (b. 1957) The face of Chanel in the eighties, Inès de la Fressange serves as brand ambassador for Roger Vivier and literally wrote the book on Parisian Chic. In 1989, Inès and Karl Lagerfeld had a falling out after she decided to pose for the Marianne, the official symbol of the French Republic. But, after decades apart, de la Fressange returned to Lagerfeld’s good graces and the Chanel runway for the 2011 spring/summer season. Photo: BERTRAND RINDOFF PETROFF / ANGELI
Catherine Deneuve (b. 1943) Debuting at age 11 in the boarding school drama Les Collégiennes, Deneuve sang her way through the c...
Catherine Deneuve (b. 1943) Debuting at age 11 in the boarding school drama Les Collégiennes, Deneuve sang her way through the color-drenched Les Parapluies de Cherbourg before putting the belle in Belle de Jour (in costumes by YSL). Deneuve’s aloof froideur was captured in her 1970s ads for Chanel No. 5, and in her tenure as national icon Marianne (1985-89). While she has described “beauty [as] a burden,” it’s one the grande dame of French cinema has borne lightly. Photo: RDA
Madame Grès (1903–1993) Born Germaine Émilie Krebs, Madame Grès worked under the name Alix Barton before adopting ...
Madame Grès (1903–1993) Born Germaine Émilie Krebs, Madame Grès worked under the name Alix Barton before adopting the pseudonym Alix Grès and founding a couture house in 1942. Trained as a sculptor, Grès claimed it was “the same to work with fabric or stone.” Her intricately pleated and draped gowns transformed clients like Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich into Greek goddesses. An haute couture stalwart, Grès’ was the last couture house to embrace ready-to-wear. Photo: Lipnitzki/Lipnitzki/Roger Viollet
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (b. 1967) Perhaps the world’s only supermodel/chanteuse/former First Lady, Carla Bruni dated Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton bef...
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (b. 1967) Perhaps the world’s only supermodel/chanteuse/former First Lady, Carla Bruni dated Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton before marrying President Nicholas Sarkozy. Adopting more conservative views after her marriage, Bruni-Sarkozy came under fire when she told French Vogue: “My generation doesn’t need feminism.” Much less controversial: her wardrobe of classic sheaths and suits, largely from the house of Christian Dior.
Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/2008 AFP
Jeanne-Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier (1777-1849) ...
Jeanne-Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier (1777-1849) Perched on the directoire-style sofa that would come to bear her name, Madame Juliette Récamier hosted political leaders and literary lights at her Parisian salon. Married at 15 to a banker rumored to be her father (the union was unconsummated), Récamier was renowned for her beauty and her virtue. She rebuffed the advances of Prince Augustus of Prussia, and was exiled for her political views by Napoléon I. Photo: Culture Club/2013 Culture Club
Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel (1883-1971) The first couturière as famous as her clients, Coco Chanel was an iconoclast that redefined th...
Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel (1883-1971) The first couturière as famous as her clients, Coco Chanel was an iconoclast that redefined the modern woman. Challenging class barriers and staid notions of good taste, Chanel took inspiration from menswear and worked with new materials, incorporating pockets, tweeds, and jersey into her lexicon of soft suits and easy sheaths. If you’ve ever worn a little black dress, designer fragrance, or costume jewelry — and you have — you’ve got Mademoiselle to thank. Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Betty Catroux (b. 1945) Betty Catroux met Yves Saint Laurent in 1967 at the legendary Parisian boîte Regine’s. An enigmatic andro...
Betty Catroux (b. 1945) Betty Catroux met Yves Saint Laurent in 1967 at the legendary Parisian boîte Regine’s. An enigmatic androgyne with a curtain of platinum hair, YSL referred to her as his “twin sister.” Catroux was the living embodiment of the designer’s sketches — her husband described her as the designer’s “pencil stroke.” And her love of the lanky and the louche, of tailoring, and of black leather, became lasting hallmarks of Saint Laurent’s style. Photo: Wesley
Loulou de la Falaise (1948-2011) If Catroux represented the nocturnal and androgynous for Yves, Loulou de la Falaise was his haute boh&...
Loulou de la Falaise (1948-2011) If Catroux represented the nocturnal and androgynous for Yves, Loulou de la Falaise was his haute bohémienne. The daughter of a Schiaparelli muse, de la Falaise was a junior fashion editor when she met YSL in 1968. Charmed, he bombarded her with clothes and, in 1972, invited her to join him at his studio. Working side-by-side with Yves for three decades, Loulou brought a worldly romantic esprit to Saint Laurent — a look epitomized by her maharaja-inspired wedding costume of harem pants, layered necklaces, and a turban. Photo: Jack Robinson/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Juliette Binoche (b. 1964) Juliette Binoche appeared in the films of auteurs Jean-Luc Godard and André Téchiné before s...
Juliette Binoche (b. 1964) Juliette Binoche appeared in the films of auteurs Jean-Luc Godard and André Téchiné before starring in Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Trois Couleurs: Bleu, the director’s homage to France’s tricolor and paean to liberté, égalité, fraternité. Indisputably the most successful French actress of her generation, “La Binoche” is also a close friend of Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz. She’s enlisted his skill not only for red carpets, but also to costume her foray into contemporary dance In-I, and for a revival of the play Mademoiselle Julie. Photo: George Pimentel
Jeanne Moreau (b. 1928) With her idiosyncratic beauty, smoldering eroticism, and direct wit, Jeanne Moreau is the thinking man’s sex symbol. A fa...
Jeanne Moreau (b. 1928) With her idiosyncratic beauty, smoldering eroticism, and direct wit, Jeanne Moreau is the thinking man’s sex symbol. A favorite of Nouvelle Vague directors in the 50s and 60s, Moreau starred in Truffaut’s Jules et Jim and Louis Malle’s Les Amants. Named “the greatest actress in the world” by Orson Welles, Moreau has more than 130 credits to her name. Roles she passed on? Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Photo: Reg Lancaster
Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (1743-1793) Jeanne Bécu was the last maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV, and dauphi...
Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (1743-1793) Jeanne Bécu was the last maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV, and dauphine Marie Antoinette’s rival at court. In 1772, Louis XV commissioned a 2-million-livre necklace for du Barry that would eventually cause a scandal (the Affair of the Diamond Necklace) that was one catalyst for the French Revolution. The royal rivals inspired Chanel’s 2013 cruise collection at Versailles, where Karl Lagerfeld dared to take sides — calling du Barry “the most beautiful woman in France, and the first fashion icon.” Photo: Hulton Archive
Françoise Hardy (b. 1944) Chanteuse Françoise Hardy has been making music since the sixties, and her avant-garde fashion sense has ...
Françoise Hardy (b. 1944) Chanteuse Françoise Hardy has been making music since the sixties, and her avant-garde fashion sense has made her a perennial style icon. Balancing bohemian basics with futuristic fashions from Rabanne, Cardin, and Courréges, Hardy exudes an offhand cool. Nicolas Ghesquière has cited her as an inspiration for his work at Balenciaga, and Rei Kawakubo adapted a Hardy lyric to name her line Comme des Garçons. Photo: Express
Lou Doillon (b. 1982)
The daughter of Jane Birkin (namesake of the Hermès bag) and half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lou Do...
Lou Doillon (b. 1982)
The daughter of Jane Birkin (namesake of the Hermès bag) and half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lou Doillon’s got style in her veins. But Lou’s chic is a bit more offbeat than her relatives’. Doillon has modeled for Missoni and Givenchy and is a front-row fixture at Chanel, but she also has a penchant for top hats and fake moustaches. She cites the Artful Dodger as a style inspiration, and rinses her hair with Coke for a tousled effect. It’s all part of her unconventional and endearing appeal. Photo: Ernesto Ruscio/2012 Getty Images
Carole Bouquet (b. 1957) Actress Carole Bouquet’s filmography is telling of her allure: She debuted in Luis Buñuel’s That Obscur...
Carole Bouquet (b. 1957) Actress Carole Bouquet’s filmography is telling of her allure: She debuted in Luis Buñuel’s That Obscure Object of Desire, played Bond girl Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only, and co-starred in Too Beautiful For You with (one-time fiancé) Gérard Depardieu. Bouquet was the face of Chanel No. 5 in the eighties and nineties, and apparently so captivated then-President François Mitterrand that he had her phones tapped for over a year. Photo: ral/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) In 2011, sculptor Louise Bourgeois’ monumental Spider achieved the record auction price ($10.7 million) pa...
Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) In 2011, sculptor Louise Bourgeois’ monumental Spider achieved the record auction price ($10.7 million) paid for a woman artist. Recognized only late in life, Bourgeois’ psychologically and sexually charged sculptures emboldened a younger generation of artists. Her collaboration with Helmut Lang also helped inspire his transition from art to fashion: Together they designed T-shirts and scarves, and she sang on his fashion show soundtrack. He even used portraits of her by Mapplethorpe and Bruce Weber (at age 85) for his advertising campaign.
Photo: Christopher Felver/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
La Liberté guidant le peuple (Eugène Delacroix, 1830) Long before Anne H...
La Liberté guidant le peuple (Eugène Delacroix, 1830) Long before Anne Hathaway “dreamed a dream,” Delacroix’s Liberty waved the flag of the July Revolution. Barefoot and bare-breasted, Liberty strides over the barricades, her disarrayed dress suggesting ancient Greek democracy and her Phrygian cap recalling the first French Revolution (1789). With his political allegory, the artist felt he had fulfilled a patriotic duty, and he wrote his brother about it: “Although I may not have fought for my country, at least I shall have painted for her.”
Photo: Culture Club/2013 Culture Club
La Liberté éclairant le monde (conceived 1870-71) It’s easy to forget that our favorite All-American Girl is herself a French ...
La Liberté éclairant le monde (conceived 1870-71) It’s easy to forget that our favorite All-American Girl is herself a French emigrant. Arriving on the frigate Isere in 1885 and dedicated in 1886, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Liberty was a gift from the people of France. “Enlightening the world” and New York Harbor, Bartholdi’s colossal statue is a vision in verdigris. Her draped gown is timeless, and she carries off her unique accessories (torch, diadem, and tabula ansata) with stoic conviction. Photo: DON EMMERT/2011 AFP
Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) Born in France to Cuban parents, Anaïs Nin gain...
Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) Born in France to Cuban parents, Anaïs Nin gained fame as an author and diarist. A onetime artist’s model, flamenco dancer, and analysand of Otto Rank, Nin’s beguiling beauty captivated Henry Miller. After immigrating to the U.S., she became a bicoastal bigamist, with one husband in New York and another in Los Angeles. Unflinchingly candid, Nin’s diaries and erotica offer unrivaled insights on female sexuality. Photo: Fred Stein Archive
Marion Cotillard (b. 1975) The daughter of an actress and a mime, Marion Cotillard was introduced to international audiences with her portrayal o...
Marion Cotillard (b. 1975) The daughter of an actress and a mime, Marion Cotillard was introduced to international audiences with her portrayal of French sparrow Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Winning an Academy Award for her performance, Cotillard’s was the first for a French-speaking role. As a brand ambassador for Christian Dior since 2008, Cotillard has appeared in short films and ads for Lady Dior, and was the first to wear a look from Raf Simons’ debut collection for the label. Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/2013 Getty Images
Sonia Rykiel (b. 1930) “Queen of Knits,” Sonia Rykiel began by designing her own maternity clothes, and soon developed her signature shrunken “po...
Sonia Rykiel (b. 1930) “Queen of Knits,” Sonia Rykiel began by designing her own maternity clothes, and soon developed her signature shrunken “poor boy” sweater. In 1974, years before the Japanese or the Antwerp Six, Rykiel began experimenting with deconstruction — exposing seams, removing linings, and leaving hems unfinished. To mark her 40th anniversary, 30 designers — including Yohji Yamamoto, Gaultier, and Margiela — created Rykiel homages for the finale of her spring/summer 2009 show.
Photo: Richard Bord/2010 Richard Bord
Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814) First wife of Napoléon Bonaparte and first Empress of France, Joséphi...
Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814) First wife of Napoléon Bonaparte and first Empress of France, Joséphine was a trendsetter of Directoire and Empire style. A notorious spendthrift, Joséphine popularized the neoclassical Empire waist, and collected Kashmir shawls. Also a rose maniac, the Empress endeavored to collect all known varieties for her gardens at Malmaison — where modern rose hybridization was pioneered by her horticulturalist André Dupont. Photo: DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI
Katoucha Niane (1960-2008) Known as “the Peul Princess,” Guinean-born Katoucha Niane was one of the first African models to achieve international...
Katoucha Niane (1960-2008) Known as “the Peul Princess,” Guinean-born Katoucha Niane was one of the first African models to achieve international acclaim. A top model in the eighties and nineties, Katoucha walked for Dior and Lacroix, and was a muse for YSL. She returned to the runway for his World Cup retrospective in 1998, and for his farewell collection in 2002. After retiring from modeling, Katoucha became an outspoken opponent of female genital mutilation, recounting her own experience in her autobiography Dans ma chair.
Photo: Eric Robert/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Victoire de Castellane If Coco Chanel wore costume jewels as if they were real, Victoire de Castellane wears real jewels as if they were costume....
Victoire de Castellane If Coco Chanel wore costume jewels as if they were real, Victoire de Castellane wears real jewels as if they were costume. After 14 years designing costume baubles chez Chanel, de Castellane defected to Dior haute joaillerie, where she could indulge in the precious stuff. Inspired by pop culture — Disney, Bollywood, Alice in Wonderland — de Castellane’s bijoux are unorthodox and over-scaled. For her personal Fleur d’excès collection, teetotaler Victoire created narcotic-inspired gems with faux scientific names: Crystalucinea Metha Agressiva, L. Es Déliriuma Flash, and Héroïna Romanticam Dolorosa. Photo: Billy Farrellnyc.com/BFA
Laetitia Casta (b. 1978) Model/actress Laetitia Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers, and was a César nominee for her portr...
Laetitia Casta (b. 1978) Model/actress Laetitia Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers, and was a César nominee for her portrayal of Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque). A favorite of Yves Saint Laurent, Casta was the designer’s last muse, and closed his final couture show along with Catherine Deneuve. Like Deneuve, Casta was also chosen as the face of the French Republic — becoming “Marianne for the 21st Century” in 2000. Photo: PASCAL GUYOT/2011 AFP
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele (b. 1950) Stylist and editor Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele spent a decade at French Elle before another at American...
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele (b. 1950) Stylist and editor Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele spent a decade at French Elle before another at American Vogue. Now she’s styling for WSJ and V magazines. Pioneering a high-low “salade” approach with an excess of accessories, Cerf was responsible for Anna Wintour’s inaugural Vogue cover — model Michaela Bercu in Lesage-beaded Lacroix couture and acid-washed denim. A supermodel sextet [below] marching in a rainbow of Chanel mini-suits — shot by Meisel in 1994 — is quintessential Carlyne.
Photo: Victor Boyko/2011 Victor Boyko
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) Existentialist philosopher and paramour of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir’s Le Deuxième Sexe&nbs...
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) Existentialist philosopher and paramour of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir’s Le Deuxième Sexe is a foundational text in feminist theory. Defining women as the Other in relation to men and introducing the critical distinction between sex and gender are de Beauvoir’s legacy. While perhaps purposefully overlooking her appearance — she has been described as “bleakly emancipated” — de Beauvoir’s self-possession and confidence are clear in every portrait of her. Photo: GEORGE BENDRIHEM
Jean Seberg (1938-1979) With her pixie cut and Breton stripes, Iowa-born Jean Seberg was transformed into the original French gamine. She debuted...
Jean Seberg (1938-1979) With her pixie cut and Breton stripes, Iowa-born Jean Seberg was transformed into the original French gamine. She debuted as the Maid of Orléans in Saint Joan, before becoming a Nouvelle Vague darling with Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. Targeted by the FBI’s COINTELPRO for her support of the NAACP and Black Panthers, Seberg spent much of her adult life in France. She died in Paris, a suspected suicide. Photo: Hulton Archive
Isabel Marant (b. 1967) Isabel Marant is the go-to designer for the coolest Parisiennes and their international imposters. A mix-master, Marant c...
Isabel Marant (b. 1967) Isabel Marant is the go-to designer for the coolest Parisiennes and their international imposters. A mix-master, Marant combines tomboy slouch with ethnic inspiration and vintage detail to create clothes that are perfectly nonchalant.
Madeline (b. 1939) Introduced by author-illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939, Madeline is the irrepressible free spirit in the straw chapeau. Ref...
Madeline (b. 1939) Introduced by author-illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939, Madeline is the irrepressible free spirit in the straw chapeau. Refusing to stay in line, Madeline is the antidote to fairytale femininity as well as a child’s introduction to Paris. She pooh-poohs the tiger at the zoo, falls into the river Seine, and runs away with Gypsies, yet always manages to find her way back to Miss Clavel. She’ll also welcome you for a drink at Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle — should you be searching for a bit of Paris in Manhattan.
Marie-Amélie Sauvé Editor and stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé has worked at Vogue Paris under Carine Roitfeld, a...
Marie-Amélie Sauvé Editor and stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé has worked at Vogue Paris under Carine Roitfeld, at American Vogue for Anna Wintour, and with Steven Meisel at Vogue Italia. Specializing in an intellectual, experimental, futurist aesthetic — lego shoes, sci-fi secretaries, and Jedi visors — Sauvé styled Balenciaga for the entirety of Nicolas Ghesquière’s tenure. Now, she’s the senior fashion editor at W. Photo: Victor Boyko/2011 Victor Boyko
Camille Claudel (1864-1943) Fiercely independent and hauntingly beautiful, sculptor Camille Claudel joined Auguste Rodin’s studio in 1884. She wo...
Camille Claudel (1864-1943) Fiercely independent and hauntingly beautiful, sculptor Camille Claudel joined Auguste Rodin’s studio in 1884. She would become his apprentice, his muse, his lover. Much of their oeuvre shows a mutual influence, but Claudel is noted for a restraint and lyricism all her own. After the end of their affair — facing financial difficulty and the gender bias of the art establishment — Claudel destroyed much of her work. When her family had her committed, her friends protested that she was a misunderstood genius.
Photo: Art Resource
Josephine Baker (1906-1975) “Black Pearl” Jospehine Baker was everyone’s favorite Americaine in Paris. The comic chorine with the ...
Josephine Baker (1906-1975) “Black Pearl” Jospehine Baker was everyone’s favorite Americaine in Paris. The comic chorine with the dazzling smile, barely there costumes, and diamond-collared cheetah, Baker was the rage of the Folies Bergère. After WWII, she helped revive a languishing haute couture industry by wearing Dior and Balmain for her homecoming tour. A civil rights activist, Baker insisted on integrated audiences, adopted a “rainbow tribe” of 12 children, and spoke alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo: Transcendental Graphics/2006 Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics
2006 Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics
Paloma Picasso (b. 1949) X marks the spot. The youngest daughter of Pablo Picasso, Paloma (which means dove) was named for his emblem for the Wor...
Paloma Picasso (b. 1949) X marks the spot. The youngest daughter of Pablo Picasso, Paloma (which means dove) was named for his emblem for the World Congress for Peace in Paris. A onetime costume designer, Paloma attracted attention with some necklaces she’d made out of rhinestone bikinis discarded from the Folies Bergère. She was soon collaborating with YSL, and has been designing jewelry for Tiffany & Co. since 1980. Known for her audacious and exaggerated designs, Paloma has sold more than $90 million at Tiffany’s. Photo: Rose Hartman
Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975) Madeleine Vionnet worked for Callot Soeurs and Jacques Doucet before launching her couture house in 1912. Consisten...
Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975) Madeleine Vionnet worked for Callot Soeurs and Jacques Doucet before launching her couture house in 1912. Consistently referring to herself as a “dressmaker” rather than couturière, Vionnet was a skillful draper and master of the bias cut. By draping directly on a half-scale wooden doll, she engineered complex geometries that appeared deceptively simple. With her lexicon of handkerchief hems, halter necks, and circular skirts, Vionnet designed over 12,000 garments in her 20-year career. Photo: Apic/©APIC
The Courtin-Clarins Girls A quartet of Amazons with beauty in their blood, the Courtin-Clarins girls are the granddaughters of Jacques Courtin-Cl...
The Courtin-Clarins Girls A quartet of Amazons with beauty in their blood, the Courtin-Clarins girls are the granddaughters of Jacques Courtin-Clarins, founder of French cosmetics firm Clarins. Sisters Claire and Virginie paved the way, arriving stateside for New York Fashion Week in February 2011, and made an immediate splash. Cousin Jenna joined in for a few days, and her twin Prisca soon followed suit. Virginie’s the eldest and favors French elegance; Claire’s the angelic bohemian; Prisca’s the brunette with the vintage smolder; and Jenna’s the sexy rock chick.
Photo: Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc.com/BFA NYC
Kiki de Montparnasse (Alice Prin, 1901-1953) Dubbed the “Queen of Montparnasse,” Kiki welcomed artists and expats to la vie bohème&nb...
Kiki de Montparnasse (Alice Prin, 1901-1953) Dubbed the “Queen of Montparnasse,” Kiki welcomed artists and expats to la vie bohème on the left bank. An artist’s model, performer, and painter, Kiki posed for Picabia, Calder, and Cocteau, and was Man Ray’s lover and muse for much of the twenties. She’s the turbaned woman with the F-holes painted on her back in his Le Violon d’Ingres. A visual pun — “violon d’Ingres” is an idiom for “hobby” — the image is Man Ray’s tribute to the painter’s nudes, but also a crude joke about his affair with Kiki. De Montparnasse’s seductive legend is celebrated by the luxury lingerie label that bears her name. Photo: Keystone-France/KEYSTONE-FRANCE
Vanessa Paradis (b. 1972) At 14, Vanessa Paradis’ first single, “Joe le Taxi,” topped the French charts, and at 17, her film debut in Noce B...
Vanessa Paradis (b. 1972) At 14, Vanessa Paradis’ first single, “Joe le Taxi,” topped the French charts, and at 17, her film debut in Noce Blanche earned her a César. The ex-partner of Johnny Depp and mother of his children, Paradis has an even longer relationship with the house of Chanel. In 1991, Jean-Paul Goude imagined her as a petit oiseau du paradis, whistling “Stormy Weather” in her cage while spilling Coco parfum. Since then, she’s been the face of Coco Cocoon bags, Rouge Coco lipstick, and appears in The Little Black Jacket book — Karl Lagerfeld’s billet-doux to Chanel’s iconic garment. Photo: Tony Barson/2008 Tony Barson
Laetitia Crahay Laetitia Crahay is the head of accessories and jewelry at Chanel: The matryoshka minaudière, Deco-jade “hand ri...
Laetitia Crahay Laetitia Crahay is the head of accessories and jewelry at Chanel: The matryoshka minaudière, Deco-jade “hand ring” and hula-hoop bag are signature Laetitia. She also moonlights as the artistic director of storied Parisian milliner Maison Michel — the onetime hat-maker for Dior, Saint Laurent, and Lacroix. At Maison Michel, Crahay has confected chainmail hoods and lace bunny ears that are le dernier cri in chic chapeaux. Photo: Victor Boyko/2010 Victor Boyko
Audrey Tautou (b. 1976) Audrey Tautou charmed international audiences as the mischievous naïf Amélie in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’...
Audrey Tautou (b. 1976) Audrey Tautou charmed international audiences as the mischievous naïf Amélie in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s whimsical Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001). Her impish smile and jagged bob redefined gamine for the twenty-first century. Embodying Mademoiselle Coco in Coco avant Chanel, Tautou replaced Nicole Kidman as the face of Chanel No. 5 in 2009. Photo: Chris Jackson/2010 Getty Images
Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) The indomitable and inimitable Diana Vreeland felt lucky to be born in Paris. The “High Priestess of Fashion,” V...
Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) The indomitable and inimitable Diana Vreeland felt lucky to be born in Paris. The “High Priestess of Fashion,” Vreeland was an absolute original that Avedon credits with inventing the profession of fashion editor. At Harper’s Bazaar and later at Vogue, Vreeland celebrated unconventional beauty, and introduced contemporary culture into the fashion magazine. By asking “Why don’t you?” she created some of the most memorable editorials ever — Verushka in “The Great Fur Caravan,” or herself at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. And as a consultant to the Costume Institute at the Met, Mrs. Vreeland embellished history, devising exhibitions that were evocative and dazzling, even if not strictly accurate.
Photo: Evening Standard
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