Françoise Hardy - Existential Geek Chic

In 1963, everyone was in love Françoise Hardy - Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, The Beatles. Girls wanted to look like her and she set the standard for the for simple elegance that is still copied today - natural beauty coupled with a celebral essence that was irresistible.

The antithesis of the 50's bloated bourgeois bouffant-wearing femme stars, Hardy was representational of the streamlined, ethereal, poetic beauty and she rode the first wave of French girl singers of Ye-ye variety.

Hardy's look was the purely French Existential academic geek chic, more avante-garde sophistication than beatnik bum. She wore what was comfortable and items that suited her long, lean frame. 


With beautiful thick hair and bangs that framed her delicate face, she was the prototype for the California girl, who took her naturalistic style of straight hair and easy elegance by defining it with a more sunkissed look later on in the same decade. 

She didn't come from a wealthy background instead, she and her younger sister were raised by their single mother rather than their rarely seen father. She was of the era when styles worn by the stars were their own, rather than lab created by some celebrity stylist.

Tracing fashion DNA, her look influenced Hollywood stars such Jane Fonda who attempted to affect her style during her days with French director Roger Vadim.  

Photo by Jean-Marie Périer


A sexed up and mutated Hollywood version of Hardy and Bridgette Bardot can be seen in actresses such Sharon Tate and others, but translated into a much better form in those like Ali McGraw.


Hardy was, and still is, a multi-talented woman. A singer, composer and actress, she has appeared in minor movie roles throughout the years including one of my favorite comedys, "What's New Pussycat?"


In 2003, she won an Academy Award for her song "L'Amitié" played during the end credits of Denys Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.




http://www.francoise-hardy.com