How To Dress Like Brigitte Bardot In 2026

Style icon, sex symbol, inventor of the bouffant hair, Brigitte Bardot has an eternal place in the fashion zeitgeist. Despite having passed away at the lovely age of 91 on December 28, 2025, she’ll be forever 29 in our minds, as iconic photos from the height of her public career remain everywhere to this day. Rising to fame in Paris, France, in the 1950s, Bardot has been the fashion and beauty inspiration for countless women since her international debut, and her impact is incalculable.

Known best, perhaps, for her popularization of winged cat-eye eyeliner and tousled, voluminous hair, Bardot is also credited with mainstreaming the two-piece swimsuit that changed everything, “le bikini” (named after the atoll where American scientists were conducting nuclear tests, because they rightly assumed the suit would be explosive). To the dismay of moms everywhere, the bikini’s stock skyrocketed after Bardot was photographed in one all over beaches in southern France. Boyfriends, however, continue to thank her.

Indeed, Bardot was no stranger to controversy, and not just the sartorial kind. Known for speaking her mind, even when it wasn’t politically expedient, French courts convicted Bardot at least five times for her incendiary comments on everything from politics to religion, and fined her upwards of €65,000 as a result. (France, unfortunately, has much less pervasive speech laws than the United States.) They never succeeded in curtailing her, though, and she continued to speak her mind until her death, with her last court case occurring in 2021 when she was 87 years old. Bardot’s uncontainable voice is a large part of what makes her an icon. Whatever you think of her opinions, a woman speaking her mind is always something to be celebrated.

But despite her outspokenness, the quality that Bardot is most well known for is her game-changing style. As a French woman in touch with her femininity and sensuality, Bardot was the picture of uninhibition. She leaned into sultriness, emphasizing it with curve-hugging silhouettes and off-shoulder necklines. She was all woman, and everyone knew it.

Perhaps the new year calls for a reincarnation of Bardot-style sensuality, highlighting one’s femininity without giving it all away. Bardot achieved this through signature pieces like dainty ballet flats, A-line gingham sundresses, bohemian accessories, and, of course, living out most of her days on the French Riviera in bikinis. Here’s how to replicate her style in 2026:

Ballet Flats

As brash as she could be vocally, Bardot never forgot her soft femininity. Case in point: one of her go-to choices of footwear was a dainty ballet flat. In fact, she is credited with the idea for the ballet flat as we know it today. As the story goes, after being trained in classical ballet as a child, Bardot loved wearing ballet slippers and found it difficult to walk the streets of France in impractical heels. So she reportedly visited the ballet shoe store Repetto and requested a walking version of her beloved slipper. Et voilà, the ballet flat was born. Here are some modern versions:

Shop: Anthropologie ViBi VENEZiA Brigitte Bow-Tie Mary Jane Flats, $160

Shop: Dolce Vita Baylee Woven Flat, $160

A-Line Sundresses

Before there was La Dolce Vita, there was French Riviera girl summer, and Bardot embodied it expertly. One of her favorite things to wear was an adorable A-line sundress, in which she was often photographed, twirling like a ballerina. A delightfully feminine dress that is still perfect for hot summer days in 2026, it has me wondering why we ever wear anything else from June to September.

Shop: Petal & Pup Auguste Midi Dress, $129

Shop: Quince 100% European Linen Fit & Flare Midi Dress, $80

Bardot Neckline

Worn so often by Bardot that they had to name it after her, the Bardot neckline is a wide, off-shoulder style that exposes the shoulders and collarbones. A staple in Brigitte’s wardrobe, she knew it was the perfect way to showcase a woman’s most delicate and alluring features. Worn today as a cute top with jeans or on a fitted dress, a Bardot neckline never fails to flatter.

Shop: Marcella NYC Mila Dress, $120

Shop: Free People Robbie Off The Shoulder Top, $58

Gingham

Bardot loved a gingham print so much she got married in one. In a ceremony with her second husband (of four), Jacques Charrier, she wore a pink gingham lace-trimmed shirtdress.

Seen more recently on runways at Anna Sui, gingham is the perfect combination of fashion and practicality. Girl-next-door, but make it French, gingham is the go-to print when you’re trying to look sweet and accessible in 2026.

Shop: Reformation Balia Linen Dress, $278

Shop: Doen Quilla Dress in Marjorie Gingham, $139

Wide Headbands

Nothing says 70s it girl like a soft wide headband, and no one wore it better than Brigitte Bardot. Paired perfectly with her voluminous blonde locks, a wide headband emphasized her almond-shaped eyes and pillowy lips. Worn today for a retro twist, the comfy hair accessory has a similar effect to a silk headscarf. It gives major European vibes, but without the slippage.

Shop: Anthropologie KITSCH Wide Twist Headband, $12

Shop: Anthropologie Epona Valley Camille Faux Suede Headband, $128

Bohemian Accessories

Staying true to her sunny, boho French Riviera aesthetic, Bardot loved herself a straw tote and hat. After being photographed with woven accessories at the beach and while navigating Venetian canals, Bardot’s straw accessories quickly became a fashion favorite among the trend-savvy worldwide. Everywhere she went, Bardot left a trail of new trends in her wake, some of which remain covetable today, like these:

Shop: Lack of Color The Inca Sunhat, $159

Shop: Anthropologie Stoney Clover Lane Raffia Woven Scoop Tote, $198

Tall Boots

An early adopter of the tall boot, even when not riding, Bardot is responsible for yet another piece of footwear going mainstream. (The girl knew a fashion phenomenon when she saw one.) Spotted many times in tall black boots, she liked them to make a statement. The higher, the better. One of her most iconic boot renditions was when she wore a Roger Vivier pair with a leather minidress in a “Harley Davidson” music video. Here is the pair she popularized:

Shop: Roger Vivier Belle Vivier 45 Suede Over-the-knee Boots, $2,775

Along with a couple of updated and more affordable versions:

Shop: Anthropologie Silent D Kaias Knee-High Boots, $280

Shop: Sezane Anaelle Thigh High Boots, $450

Leopard Trench Coats

Brigitte helped turn leopard from provocative novelty into everyday chic by wearing it the way she wore everything else: casually. Throughout the 1960s, she favored leopard coats and trench-style silhouettes thrown over minidresses, bare legs, and tall black boots, treating animal print less like a statement and more like a neutral. At a time when leopard was considered flashy or vulgar, Bardot’s undone styling reframed it as effortless, daytime-appropriate, and undeniably feminine, cementing the leopard trench as a wardrobe classic rather than a trend.

Shop: Anthropologie Avec Les Filles Flocked Velvet Animal Print Trench Coat, $130

Bikinis, Of Course

No Brigitte Bardot fashion compilation would be complete without an ode to the special form of swimwear she made ubiquitous: the bikini. Yes, to the delight of men everywhere, Bardot brought forth the bikini from an obscure French trend to a must-have in every it-girl closet. With voting and property rights secured, women had been making strides in their quest for equality. But I think we can all agree that we finally arrived when we could bare our bellies to the sun and reap the full vitamin D rewards. Here are a couple for this summer she would love:

Shop: Mytheresa Bananhot Angela Gingham Bikini Top, $170

Shop: Free People Solid & Striped The Kaia Bikini Top, $138

La Fin

The sun may have set on Brigitte Bardot’s illustrious life, but her impact isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. As one of the OG trendsetters, Bardot is responsible for so many of the fashion treasures we enjoy today. So next time you don a tall boot, girly sundress, or complete your look with a chic wide headband, you’ll know who to thank: the siren queen of the midcentury. May she rest in peace.