Françoise Hardy was the face of 1960s French pop, having released her debut single, Tous les garçons et les filles, in 1962 and sung her way to forefront of the yé-yé phenomenon. But her style is every bit as much a part of her legacy. ‘If it weren’t for the way I dress, no one would notice me,’ she told a reporter in 1969, although fans of her music will beg to differ.

Here she is on the set of 1966 film Grand Prix Photograph: Everett/Rex/Shutterstock Over the decades Hardy inspired a host of designers. Avant garde creative Rei Kawakubo even named her brand, Comme des Garçons, after one of the lyrics in Tous les garçons et les filles Photograph: Andre Csillag/Rex/Shutterstock No stranger to miniskirts, Hardy was also unafraid to lean into more masculine looks. A muse to Yves Saint Laurent, she was one of the original Le Smoking influencers, championing slick tailoring.

She wore her Le Smoking suit on a float to promote her film Grand Prix at the 1966 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade Photograph: Dezo Hoffman/REX/Shutterstock Hardy was a style inspiration then as now. As singer-songwriter Carly Simon once recalled: ‘There was a French singer, Françoise Hardy. I used to look at her pictures and try to dress like her.

’ It is a sentiment that many will share today, with this exact look – minidress and ballet flats – very much in the ether in 2024 Photograph: Pierluigi/Rex/Shutterstock Mick Jagger described her in an interview as his ideal woman, and Bo.