Brigitte Bardot, The Embodiment of Freedom, Reshaped Fashion

A global icon revealed by Roger Vadim’s film “And God Created Woman,” Brigitte Bardot embodied a sensual, sunny, and unruly France, before reinventing herself as a determined animal rights activist. Few figures have shaped the collective imagination to such an extent, influencing cinema, society, luxury, and fashion in such a lasting way.

Unlike many contemporary muses, Bardot did not “wear” luxury: she inspired it. She imposed a radically new vision of elegance, based on freedom, simplicity, and natural sensuality. This attitude had a profound impact on French and international fashion houses, helping to fuel the concept of “French luxury.” Thanks to her, certain ordinary items became absolute icons; without her, for example, Repetto ballet flats would not have become a staple of women’s wardrobes. In 1956, the actress from “Contempt” asked Rose Repetto to adapt a dance shoe for city wear. The Cendrillon model, worn in “And God Created Woman,” among other films, thus became a legend. Repetto estimates that it has sold more than 2 million pairs of Cendrillon ballet flats since their creation, making this shoe one of the greatest commercial successes in affordable French luxury.

The Bardot collar, which reveals the shoulders, another signature detail in the muse’s wardrobe, was regularly used by Azzedine Alaïa, Saint Laurent, and then Jacquemus. The same glorious fate was reserved for gingham checks: when she married in 1959 in a pink gingham dress, Brigitte Bardot propelled this popular fabric into the fashion world. Decades later, Miuccia Prada reinterpreted it in bags and accessories, notably in jacquard, such as those designed for her 1988 summer collection.

The actress liked to show off her blonde mane, sometimes held back with just a headband; this very Seventies bohemian style influenced fashion houses such as Chloè and Saint Laurent. The same goes for the wicker basket and “Tropezian” style sandals: Bardot was able to bring beach accessories into urban fashion in a way that had never been done before. The basket thus became a desirable item, taken up by Saint Laurent, Loewe, Prada, and Jacquemus. Flat sandals, meanwhile, quickly became a lasting symbol of casual summer luxury.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld was one of the first to understand that Brigitte Bardot embodied a new femininity. In the 1960s, while working for Chloé, he created several short, flowing, sensual dresses for her, designed to accompany the movement of the body rather than constrain it. The actress’s outfits thus helped to establish an elegance free from the constraints of traditional haute couture.

Later, Lagerfeld would often refer to Bardot as the archetype of the free French woman, a founding figure of what he called “effortless chic.”

Her influence in the world of luxury is not limited to fashion.

When she moved to Saint-Tropez in the 1950s, after buying the villa “La Mandrague,” where she would try to live hidden away from the press and high society from the 1970s onwards, Brigitte Bardot transformed this Provençal fishing village into the world capital of glamour.

Her presence attracted artists, billionaires, and luxury brands, driving up real estate prices and attracting high-end hotel entrepreneurs. Certain neighborhoods in the picturesque town now offer apartments and houses that exceed an average of €25,000 per square meter, which is above prices in the capital. In certain areas, such as the beaches of Pampelonne, prices can now reach €50,000 per square meter, contributing to the scarcity of properties in a market that is now closed and reserved for the world’s wealthiest individuals.

The Bardot myth is still alive and will remain so for a long time to come. The muse of Vadim, Gainsbourg, and Godard proved that a woman could have a lasting influence on global fashion without ever following trends, simply by being herself, remaining the embodiment of an instinctive, sensual, unruly, and eternal French luxury.