From Jean Seberg to Catherine Deneuve: The muses of the French New Wave who changed cinema and fashion forever

Jean Seberg is the inaugural and most iconic face of the Nouvelle Vague, or French New Wave, thanks to 'Breathless' by Jean-Luc Godard, whose pioneering shoot has been recreated in Richard Linklater’s new film. Zoey Deutch brings to life this American woman who had a tragic life and death. She fled to France seeking the roles Hollywood denied her and turned her haircut into a style icon still remembered today. Her extremely short pixie cut became her defining feature and contrasted with her feminine, typically Parisian style — despite being born in Iowa — consisting of capri pants, modest-heeled shoes, off-the-shoulder sweaters, and floppy hats.Hulton Archive (Getty Images)

Members of this movement often discussed how a character’s wardrobe tended to take precedence over the narrative, rather than the other way around, and in many cases it was the actors themselves who came up with what they wore on screen. That’s what happened with the legendary short-sleeved knitted sweater Seberg wears in a frame from the film, featuring the 'Herald Tribune' logo. Seberg, who plays a newspaper seller named Patricia Franchini, was the one who designed one of the most iconic t-shirts in film history. She died in 1979 after being pursued for years by the FBI for her support of the Black Panthers.Photo: MPTV.net

It was none other than fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel who helped Anna Karina, born Hanne Karin Bayer, come up with her stage name when she arrived in Paris at just 17. A native of Denmark, she became the most representative face of the French New Wave, using her intensely lined black eyes and strategically tousled bangs brushing her eyebrows as her signature aesthetic calling card. Some of her on-screen looks have become iconic, such as the tartan skirt in 'Vivre sa vie,' the pristine white outfit in 'Pierrot le Fou,' or the low-bodiced dress with a sailor-style jacket in 'A Woman Is a Woman.'REPORTERS ASSOCIES (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Godard “discovered” Karina in 1959, thanks to a soap commercial she starred in. It wasn’t long before they began a romantic relationship and got married in 1961. A few months later, while six months pregnant, Anna lost the baby due to an infection and became infertile at just 20 years old. The couple never recovered from that tragedy, and both went through several suicide attempts. After their separation, Karina continued working in film and music and went on to marry three more times.Evening Standard (Getty Images)

Beyond her unmissable work as an actress and director, Jeanne Moreau’s style perfectly encapsulates several decades of fashion: timeless in the 1960s, when she became a personal friend of Chanel — spending hours with her recommending books, as both were avid readers; a bit more futuristic and geometric after meeting Pierre Cardin, with whom she lived for four years; liberated in the 1970s and glamorous in the 1980s. She was photographed by renowned photographers such as Helmut Newton, Slim Aarons, and Cecil Beaton, and her personal interest in fashion led her to amass significant pieces from these designers, as well as from Yves Saint Laurent.Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche

A legend of European cinema, Moreau was much more than the object of desire in 'Jules and Jim,' Truffaut’s unforgettable film. She was, for example, the first French actress to appear on the cover of 'Time' magazine, despite never showing any interest in conquering Hollywood, and a model of a woman ahead of her time. She insisted that her only desire was to open forbidden doors — and indeed, she did. “Generosity, ardor, complicity, comprehension of human fragility: all that can be read on the screen when Jeanne Moreau is acting,” said the French filmmaker of her.The Granger Collection (The Granger Collection, New York /Cordon Press)

Renowned for her iconic bangs (perhaps the most famous in cinema, with all due respect to Jane Birkin), Brigitte Bardot’s style remains alive today in countless articles and Instagram accounts that repeatedly showcase her most famous looks. Her influence on fashion is such that the off-the-shoulder neckline she popularized was even named after her. Her gingham wedding dress, trench coat with a ponytail finished with a black ribbon, the wide headband she used to sweep back her hair, and her teased buns are just a few of the looks she left behind. She starred in Godard's movie 'Contempt' one of the cult masterpieces of the French New Wave.Sunset Boulevard (Corbis via Getty Images)

Her recent death has reignited the debate over one of French cinema’s most polarizing figures. Bardot left acting at 39, “a prisoner” of her image and myth, to devote herself entirely to animal activism and to embrace far-right political ideas. For decades, she spoke out against immigration and movements such as #MeToo. A year ago, she stated that “she was not a feminist because she liked men.” Despite this, few actresses broke more clichés and glass ceilings than Brigitte Bardot. She is still celebrated as the woman who liberated the female body through fashion in the 1960s and as the creator of a style halfway between eroticism and innocence, copied endlessly by thousands of women around the world.Hulton Archive (Getty Images)

She was named “the most beautiful woman in the world” by 'Look' magazine, and without a doubt, Catherine Deneuve embodied French chic like no other. Although born a brunette, her platinum blonde hair became her signature, giving her an almost Nordic, icy beauty. She was muse, friend, and ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent, being one of the first to dare the empowering women’s tuxedo, and for nearly a decade she was the face of Chanel No. 5, photographed by Helmut Newton, among others. Her enduring image includes wearing a Burberry trench coat with a ribbon in her hair in 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' (1964), the black backless dress in 'Repulsion' (1965), or any of the versions she wore of the little black dress; as well as her hairstyles crowned with ribboned headbands, her obsession with miniskirts paired with tall boots, and her ability to wear, like no one else, a simple turtleneck sweater, a chunky-knit cardigan, or a headscarf.Evening Standard (Getty Images)

'La Dolce Vita,' 'Lola,' 'A Man and a Woman,' '8 1/2'… Few actresses can boast a résumé on the level of Anouk Aimée, the Parisian actress who grew up during a childhood shaped by World War II. The daughter of two actors, she was sent to southwestern France as a child to escape police raids targeting Jews. In her personal life, she was married four times and passed away in 2024 at the age of 92.Terry Fincher (Getty Images)

Her stage name pays tribute to the first name of the character she played in her debut film, 'The House Under the Sea,' followed by the French word aimée (“beloved”). Like many of her contemporaries, she rubbed shoulders with Coco Chanel and embodied the glamour of the era with her black-lined eyes and teased hair. The actress also appeared in Robert Altman’s 'Prêt-à-Porter,' one of the most controversial and memorable films about the fashion world.Screen Archives (Getty Images)

The older sister of Catherine Deneuve — who took their mother’s maiden name to avoid confusion — Françoise Dorléac began in fashion before film when a photographer asked her to pose for a shoot. Her success was such that she even modeled for Dior. Her striking beauty and strong personality made her one of the most prolific and sought-after faces on screen: she appeared in more than 20 films before her untimely death in a car accident at the age of 25.Larry Ellis (Getty Images)

Resnais, Truffaut, Demy, and Buñuel are just a few of the filmmakers who admired Delphine Seyrig’s talent, whose celestial voice was often compared to the sound of a cello. However, Seyrig is especially remembered for her feminist activism, to which she devoted the bulk of her work as a filmmaker. Until her premature death at 58 from lung cancer, she focused on working with women directors, founded an institution for female artistic creation, and gave a microphone to colleagues such as Jane Fonda and Maria Schneider to recount firsthand their struggles with patriarchy.Evening Standard (Getty Images)

Emmanuelle Riva’s humble origins — she was set to become a seamstress before leaving rural France for Paris — influenced how she approached her career and, of course, her relationship with fashion. Riva was an anti-star: she refused to work in commercial cinema and embodied a style that was simple yet elevated, both on screen and in her wardrobe. She spent her final years wearing her gray hair short and slightly tousled, as practical and sophisticated as she was.Mirrorpix (Getty Images)