17 French Style Icons In Honor Of Bastille Day (PHOTOS, POLL)

Bon quatorze juillet!

In honor of Bastille Day, we rounded up some of our favorite French fashion stars. You know, the ones who truly epitomize that je ne sais quoi that we strive to emulate.

From Marie Antoinette's frilly frou-frou and Coco Chanel's revolutionary suits, to the inimitable Jane Birkin (honorarily, of course) and modern day icon Clémence Poésy, we've covered all our sartorial bases.

Take a look below and tell us whose style will always be à la mode.

Comments

[Bryan Myrick]

01:46 PM on 08/25/2011

What about Hubert de Givenchy? Surely an iconic designer of his stature (and one still living, for that matter) deserves mention.

[we-r-stardust]

11:05 AM on 07/18/2011

SPAM

[beadingchef]

04:47 PM on 07/16/2011

They need to let me be a fashion editor at HP, where did they get these photos? Many of these women are incredibly stylish, but The pics of Catherine, are the worst ones to show how incredible stylish she is. And you missed other women who are better know for their style like Paloma Picasso, and is Bruni born in France, because I thought she was Italian. But with all of them for the most part the oils did not even begin to do justice.

[porthaul]

02:17 AM on 07/16/2011

Paloma Picasso.

[porthaul]

01:43 AM on 07/16/2011

Carla Bruni from an Italian noble family? Her grandfather had a tire factory. Nothing wrong with that, but "noble"?

[porthaul]

01:03 AM on 07/16/2011

I don't believe Carla Bruni qualifies for this list. She was born in Torino, Italy. She immigrated with her family to France when she was 7.

[janedoe31]

07:47 PM on 07/15/2011

French women.................they know that less is more, that includes hair styles, fashion, weight, makeup.....timeless

[Samirah1368]

09:48 AM on 07/16/2011

so untrue. again the whole french myth. there are gorgeous stylish women but being French does not make you an automatic...I read in one of those 'chic' french books that French women never wore sneakers...just a blatant lie. I've seen gorgeous Parisian women wearing them well! how could they forget jeanne moreau

[Sunflo]

04:40 PM on 07/15/2011

WHERE are Isabelle Adjani and Carole Bouquet???

[ras121s]

10:05 AM on 07/15/2011

Ummm...Vanessa Paradis, anyone?

[gutz54]

09:42 AM on 07/15/2011

Give me an American woman anyday-- actually most of these french women are quite unattractive-- some i suspect may actually be men??

[1frank]

11:50 AM on 08/23/2011

you must be an admirer of the Arizona woman that want to be 1800 lbs yes 1800 lbs before she reach 41 years , just to be in the guiness book of world records .

[keramos]

09:38 AM on 07/15/2011

Three photos of Brigitte Bardot.  That puts a nice finish to the week. 

Thank you, France!  Happy Bastille Day.

[yankixis]

07:44 AM on 07/15/2011

I like her in contempt. what a beautiful film, the french ennui forever. . Watch - http://bit.ly/nixsFf

[whomod]

04:15 AM on 07/15/2011

Just came to make sure you had Anna Karina there.

Definitely #1 by a mile.

[Bellanova]

06:38 AM on 07/15/2011

Isn't she Danish?

[bluechao]

04:04 PM on 08/01/2011

She's Danish, yes, but she made her mark as part of the French New Wave of cinema, particularly in Godard's films, so I think she qualifies as a style icon for France.

[Odeemgawa]

07:30 AM on 07/15/2011

I thought Anna Karina was a Russian novel, n'est pas?

[AppleBaby]

09:34 AM on 07/15/2011

Anna Karenina. Please read a book.

[MsVella]

03:50 AM on 07/15/2011

Jacqueline Bisset!

[jayquintana]

01:52 AM on 07/15/2011

There's Catherine Denueve.... then there's everybody else.

[standish]

01:59 AM on 07/15/2011

.....everybody else except Jeanne Moreau.

[Demitasse]

09:13 AM on 07/15/2011

and Simone Signoret