Early on in her career, she was often labeled “the most beautiful woman in the world.” This might have played havoc with the mind of a lesser mortal; for Brigitte Bardot, forever typecast as the blonde bombshell, it was all in a day’s work. Throughout her illustrious career, she acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She became a muse for the likes of Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, and Pierre Cardin. And she was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration, in 1985, ten years after retiring at age 40 to pursue a “more meaningful life” out of the withering glare of the press, when she could have continued to shine on the silver screen.

Bardot appears to be having a major moment in 2025. Sabrina Carpenter’s new Vogue Italia cover shoot, shot by fashion photographer Steven Meisel, was clearly influenced by the legendary actress’s ’60s-era glamour. And two new art books pay tribute to her considerable legacy. Being Bardot, published by ACC Art Books, features photography by Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill, who took some of the most iconic images of the actress ever captured on film; while Brigitte Bardot: Intimate, from Assouline, showcases never-before-published photos by her longtime friend Glislain “Jicky” Dussart. All still utterly enthralling nearly six decades later.

“In a period of just a little more than 20 years, Brigitte Bardot exploded established perceptions of beauty and femininity,” writes author James Clarke in the introduction to Being Bardot. “In doing so, she dramatically rewrote expectations around—and perhaps even established a new version of—femininity. She was a movie star and a pop-culture icon whose image was emblematic of a particular moment in time. Bardot’s film career spanned 21 years, from 1951 to 1973. Her screen performances, and the still images of her that became such a constant and vivid element of popular culture, brought a new sense of what female movie stardom could be, not only in French cinema but globally.”

Bardot’s killer looks and knockout style have been emulated by the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Lara Stone, Amy Winehouse, Georgia May Jagger, Scarlett Johansson, and Paris Hilton. Asked about her many imitators, Bardot simply sniffed, ”None have my personality.” She put Saint-Tropez on the map after filming And God Created Woman there in 1953, directed by her husband Roger Vadim, establishing such a strong connection with the Mediterranean paradise that she lives there to this day, having made it her permanent home; many of Dussart’s photographs were taken there.

Terry O’Neill created one of the most iconic images ever taken of Bardot, a photograph of her smoking a cigarette on the set of The Legend of Frenchie King in 1971.”I thought if I could get a close-up of the moment the wind blew her trademark hair into her eyes, combined with the cigarette dangling from those lips, it would capture how sexy, strong and wild her image was,” O’Neill recalls in Being Bardot. “I didn’t have many frames left, so I went in closer. The wind blew, and I clicked the shutter. I had no idea if the photo would match the image I had in my mind until the film was developed. The first time I saw these images, I got chills.” It’s safe to say that the rest of the world did, too.

On the occasion of her 90th birthday, the town of Villefranchesur-Mer, another picturesque French Riviera town she elevated to icon status, honored Bardot with a celebratory photo exhibition. “The images show her sometimes bursting with joy, sometimes introspective, but always imbued with this aura which has fascinated and still fascinates entire generations,” the exhibition noted. “Bardot’s authenticity is one of the most striking to people. Even though she was a global star, she always stayed true to who she was and did not yield to the expectations of others.”

From the very start of her career, the curators wrote, “from Paris to Saint-Tropez and via Villefranche-sur-Mer, all along her path to fame, from one film to the next, Brigitte had all the makings of a celebrity: Whether copied, scrutinized, followed, persecuted or adored, she made one successful film after another based on her sex appeal, in which she often plays a young French woman who is portrayed as wild, suave, and beautiful. Often the object—and victim— of a malicious curiosity, on screen she is revealed as a true, uninhibited and moving actress. Bardot irritated and amused her contemporaries all the more by her blatant disregard of public opinion and lack of approval of known critiques.”

Her impact on cinema, fashion, and culture cannot be overstated, all the more so because she decided to turn her back on it and devote herself to a cause close to her heart; in 1986, she founded the Fondation Brigitte Bardot to protect wild and domesticated animals. Beyond simply becoming famous, she radically altered the whole concept of female stardom. And she continues to influence and inspire generations of actresses, models, and women from all walks of life. Vive Bardot. 

This article originally appeared in Maxim magazine’s September/October 2025 issue.

Pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter is entering her full bombshell era, gracing the October cover of Vogue Italia with a stunning shoot that blends retro glamour with her signature playful edge. The cover, lensed by legendary fashion photographer Steven Meisel and styled by Karl Templer, shows the “Man’s Best Friend” singer in a sophisticated yet sultry light, featuring a flipped-out bob and dramatic makeup.

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Carpenter’s latest photo shoot captures the 26-year-old at a pivotal moment in her white-hot career, fresh off the chart-topping success of her new album and a recently announced headlining slot at Coachella. The striking black-and-white photos cast Carpenter in a mix of nostalgic looks, including pieces from Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, styled with an air of Brigitte Bardot-like sophistication.

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Celebrity commenters praising the shoot on Carpenter’s Instagram page included actress Maude Apatow (“Oh my god”), supermodel Winnie Harlow (“Stunner”) and former Boy Meets World actress and Maxim cover star Danielle Fishel (“Literally took my breath away!! You’re stunning in every way”).

In the shoot’s accompanying interview, Carpenter spoke candidly about her use of wit and irony as both a defense mechanism and a source of creative freedom. She noted that her femininity is not a mask but “an experiment, a shifting character I can write and rewrite every day.” She also reflected on the unique connection with her fanbase, stating, “The most important part of the last 10 years of my life have been the people that have got me to where I am. We really are growing up together.”

Check out highlights from Carpenter’s Vogue Italia shoot in the Instagrams above.

The atmosphere within the vivid AREV St. Tropez (just a seven-minunte walk from the city center) is intimate and considered, paced more slowly than, say, the famed VIP Room in St. Tropez, where celebs from Rihanna to Jay-Z have been known to dance the night away.

Yes, the timeless appeal of Bardot favorite Les Caves Du Roy also remains when it comes to nightlife, but the AREV St. Tropez presents a refined getaway alternative, as we found out during a recent visit. A quiet season for the French Riviera unlocks the potential of its future, and not just in the heady summer months: Saint-Tropez’s luxury hotel scene ebbs and flows, arguably reaching a fever pitch around July, but consider the year-round resort an oasis whenever laidback luxury beckons.

Across 35 rooms and signature suites (buoyed by the recent addition of 11 new rooms, plus a new pool), there’s a sense of playful luxury, accented by vibrant blue, white and red details that place one at the intersection of old-world France and modern design.

Offerings tucked down staircases and quiet hallways speak to these points of distinction: The AREV Spa features a custom lineup of Maison St. products & services, all the better to unwind the morning after a night on the town, while a state-of-the-art fitness center is almost hidden near a quiet garden terrace.

AREV calls its approach “nautical elegance,” and it’s fully apparent in Classic, Deluxe and Junior suites, plus six full-sized suites. A vivid mix of contemporary art plays wonderfully off handsomely appointed, inviting furnishings, and most rooms offer large private terraces. With rates starting at around $1,200 for June and beyond, the hotel says it expects consistent bookings through the summer months, would-be guests should act swiftly to secure a taste of French Riviera.

The allure of St. Tropez nightlife remains as strong as ever, even during the offseason. Le Café, a lively piano bar with an elevated French bistro menu, is just a short walk away from the AREV. As dusk falls around the restaurant, the tempo of the night accelerates, cocktails are shaken with renewed vigor and every nook of the space turns into a dance floor. It makes the chance to adjourn to a four-poster bed — or enjoy a nightcap at Q’s Bar back at the AREV St. Tropez — all the more enticing.

There’s a welcome, delicate hush within Q’s Bar at AREV St. Tropez: Fewer than a dozen bar stools outfitted in tasteful, ever-present blue-and-white striping help see to that. The cocktail menu and the accompanying liquor cabinet touch gracefully on classics of days gone by, running the gamut from the Vesper to the French 75, a delicious Whiskey Sour, a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned and a simple but delightful Pisco Sour. Cocktails are nicely complemented by The Strand restaurant, which goes so far as to adorn its dishes with fresh herbs and greens from lush gardens on the property. Guests would also do well to inquire about an olive oil tasting (yes, an olive oil tasting).

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If ever you’ve dined at world-famous Bagatelle, you’ll recognize the inspiration behind The Strand, and the care put into its food and beverage program. A selection of digestif sippers including bitters, absinthe and port is handily complemented by a dazzling spirits list featuring dozens of options across tequila, mezcal, vodka, bourbon and rye, with names both familiar and unexpected: The sign of a spirits program curated to suit every taste. If you’re lucky, you might have the chance to try WhistlePig’s Boss Hog or perhaps splurge on Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

The real star of the show at The Strand and Q’s Bar is (naturally) the wine selection, with seemingly instant access to truly wonderful vintages sourced across the region and down the road. Particular attention is paid to stunners like the Les Pagodes de Cos Château Cos d’Estournel 2016, while Alsace A.O.C. white wine is an exceptional menu standout.

The hotel is conveniently situated a short drive from innovative wineries like Fondugues-Pradugues, a biodynamic maker of Provence rosé and red wines, with limited-edition bottlings and innovative experiments in blending based on the season. There’s a thrilling contrast between the lavish coast nearby and the earthy confines of a vineyard. Fittingly, the hotel plans to host wine tours and workshops for guests in the coming months.

Back in town, the Place des Lices, just minutes from the AREV, springs to life every Tuesday and Saturday for the famed St. Tropez Market. With covetable access to fine French cheeses, meats and gourmet wares, the resort will soon launch local guided culinary tours, a tantalizing prospect for the foodie and world traveler. For the shopper craving elegance, a vast lineup of luxury boutiques jot the harbor, including storefronts from the likes of Chanel and Swiss watchmaker Hublot.

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St. Tropez is a region of endless variety, as seaside cafes offer a prime view of stunning luxury yachts, while glimpses of the coast dot the city’s narrow yet picturesque alleyways. In the high season, the coastal region is packed with revelers craving a taste of the good life, making the AREV St. Tropez even more appealing as both a respite and a seriously convenient way to get to and from the heart of the action on foot.

Heading into a lucrative and buzzing time of year, the property is plotting a new sport and lifestyle summer capsule collection with PAPER London, all the better to bring home the look and feel of the famed French Riviera. Its restaurant, The Strand, will go al fresco for the summer months, bolstered by a new seasonal menu and cocktail selection. And the AREV St. Tropez is bringing Q’s Bar to life through a series of mixology workshops and guided whisky tastings, with each experience designed to “showcase the beauty and richness of St Tropez.”

The AREV St. Tropez seems to present the notion that whatever you might have thought of the sunny French Riviera, think again: Timeless odes to the past are a constant, but all the trappings of modern refinement are within your reach, only minutes away from the coast.

Brigitte Bardot and her costar Christian Marquand painstakingly get out of the water and fall exhausted on the sand of the seemingly deserted beach. When she gets up, Bardot’s wet shirtdress is half open, and after a few teasing invitations from her side, an erotic scene soon unfolds by a pine tree a little higher up the shore.

The year is 1956 and the movie being shot is And God Created Woman (Et Dieu… créa la femme). Next to the film crew, led by the French director Roger Vadim, a bunch of curious locals are privileged enough to watch. Eight-year-old Patrice de Colmont is one of them. The vast Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle, just south of Saint-Tropez, is his home and playground.

It was his father, the aristocratic ethnologist and explorer Bernard de Colmont, who fell in love with the place in the late 1940s when the beach was completely undeveloped.

“We started spending the summers there and in 1954 my father bought a piece of land by the beach after inheriting some money. When my mother heard that, she first got angry. She thought we could have used them to buy pullovers or something else useful,” Patrice laughs. His father however felt that he had found “their promised land.”

Bernard was not wrong. He built three small wooden huts where the family moved in full time. There they would live like Robinson Crusoe, his father joked. However, they were not completely isolated; during the summer, fishermen from Saint-Tropez also inhabited the beach, and the de Colmont family lived spartanly, as did their neighbors.

”The summers were characterized by fragrances of fresh fish and ripe figs, Patrice recalls. “We would buy the cheapest fish and then grill them over an open fire. There was no electricity. Today you think that it is something you can not do without, but then I never felt that there was any need for it; you ate when it was still light, went to bed early and got up with the sun.”

Every day there were a few people who would pass their huts to access the beach for a swim or some sunbathing. They sometimes sat down with the de Colmont family to eat the food they’d brought with them. Soon Geneviève came up with the idea that she could buy food for everyone and cook it, in exchange for a small sum.

Bernard in turn built some picnic tables with benches in the style of those he had seen during his travels to national parks in the United States. They placed the tables on the beach in front of the huts. Then one early summer day in 1956, the film crew showed up.

“They had noticed our terrace where people sat and ate and thought it was a bistro,” Patrice recounts. “So they asked my mother if she could cook for the film crew of 80 people for 15 days, and, fearless as she was, she said yes.”

Still without electricity, Geneviève had to use the baker’s oven in Saint-Tropez. She would make simpler things like ratatouille, roast beef, grilled fish and puff pastry. After two weeks, the team left, but Roger Vadim and Brigitte Bardot, who were a married couple at the time, had been seduced by the bohemian existence on the beautiful beach strip. They kept coming back and even brought their friends.

“Eventually, we realized that we would have problems with the authorities if we did not register our business,” Patrice says. “That’s how the name Club 55 was born. 1955 was the year we considered ourselves to have started. And we chose to call ourselves a club instead of a restaurant; that way we could select the guests we ourselves wanted there. It suited us perfectly.” The timing could not be better.

The launch of And God Created Woman—a groundbreaking film about female sexuality and liberation—was not only the breakthrough for Bardot as an actress but also put Saint-Tropez on the map internationally.

The destination quickly rose to prominence as a cultural gathering place for the international intelligentsia. But despite the long list of celebrity guests at Club 55, Bernard was careful to maintain a familiar spirit to the place. The menu consisted of Provencal home cooking such as grilled sardines, stuffed tomatoes and whole, cooked artichokes—just like today.

“My father wanted us to serve things that were easy to cook to avoid having professional chefs,” Patrice notes. “The people he hired had worked with everything possible—except being in the kitchen.

His motto was that if it’s the owner who is directly responsible for the food, the customer couldn’t complain. It’s like eating at a friend’s house; then you would not say that the meat is overcooked. The ambition at Club 55 was never that you would go there in the first place to eat something extravagant, but to meet and socialize.”

As the rumor about the club spread, the number of new guests also increased, and the shoebox used to collect small bills soon had to be replaced with a real cash register. Among the regulars were the then leading actors, writers and singers such as Robert Hirsch, Françoise Sagan and Juliette Gréco.

“One day my mother got a call that Soraya, the empress of Iran, had arrived in Saint-Tropez and needed discreet accommodation—immediately,” Patrice recounts. “The house next door to us belonged to the Belgian ambassador who was in Paris at the time and my mother made sure that Soraya could live there for a month.”

Soraya was at the club every day, “and we built a small hut on the beach where she could change. In her world, it was like camping,” he laughs. By the time Patrice, together with his brother and sister, took over the running of the club in 1973 the wooden huts had been replaced by a stone house, and the number of dining tables on the terrace had increased, as had the sun loungers with their parasols displayed in the sand.

Since then, Club 55, which started without any real purpose of making any big money, has become more professional.

The guests, who come dressed in everything from elegant outfits to low-key beachwear, arrive from both the mainland and the turquoise sea. Among the more affluent clients, it is not uncommon to dock one’s yacht off the shore, and then take a small boat to the little pier at Pampelonne beach.

The club is open from spring to autumn, and never in the evening. All tables are placed outdoors—decorated with light blue tablecloths—and it can accommodate just over 400 people.

“To us, everyone is welcome,” Patrice says. “But the first time someone comes, they are being observed. By me. If I think they can add something to the club, we will do everything we can to make them want to come back. Being at Club 55 is one of those good times in life. If someone succeeds in ruining that, by grumbling about the food or behaving badly, they should not be there.”

When this happens, Patrice usually walks up to the person in question and says calmly, and with a big smile, “I think the friends who recommended that you come here made a mistake; this is not a place for you.” “And this applies to everyone.”

When it comes to celebrities, Club 55 has an impressive track record to say the least. Over the years, they have welcomed politicians such as the former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev; supermodels such as Kate Moss; designers such as Giorgio Armani; and actors like Sylvester Stallone. Bono, frontman of Irish rock band U2, is a regular who on different occasions has spontaneously stood up and sung with the club’s musicians.

It’s been a while since Bardot (now in her eighties) has been in for a meal, “but she used to be one of those for whom Club 55 was a second home for a long time,” says Patrice. In several ways, she also embodied the place’s contrasts of beauty and glamor on the one hand, and the rebellious and unpretentious on the other.

Last summer, due to the pandemic, Club 55 had mainly French guests. “Monotonous,” Patrice thought. He believes that it is the mix of people who, since the start well over half a century ago, have made the club such a special place—and will make it flourish also in the future.

“We really have all religions, cultures and nationalities around our tables,” he notes. “And despite the differences, people show each other respect. Club 55 is proof that peace is possible in this world.”

Russell Young has gone from photographing pop stars to making pop art. Young first earned acclaim as an in-demand lensman in the 1980s, notably shooting the album sleeve for George Michael’s multi-platinum album Faith and the single sleeve for Morrissey’s gorgeously bleak Everyday is Like Sunday. The British-born photographer also snapped Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., The Smiths, Bjork, Bauhaus, and Diana Ross during his career, as well as covers for Vogue Italia, GQ, and The Face. In the 1990s, Young directed more than 100 music videos during MTV’s heyday.

In more recent years, Young has garnered attention for making Warhol-esque silkscreen paintings of vintage pop culture icons like Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali and Brigitte Bardot, many of which are bedazzled with “diamond dust”, as seen in this video Young recently shared on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEXUt1DnkIb

Young, whose paintings are currently on display at galleries in London, Miami, and the Hamptons, launches his Heroes + Heroines show in Los Angeles next month. He counts an impressive array of celebrities as collectors of his starry silkscreens, including Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Moss, Mark Zuckerberg, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Drake, Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Dunst, and—naturally—The Kardashians. Take a closer look at some of Young’s paintings below. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpguRAnZTbhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CC1ADrMHyeGhttps://www.instagram.com/p/B_FaHYdnPnQ

The Philadelphia artist known as Seek One has been garnering attention as more celebrities snap up his pop art-meets-street art paintings. His famous fans include rapper Quavo from Migos, actress Kaley Cuoco, NBA stars Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons, and Instagram influencer Jonathan “Food God” Cheban. A former graffiti artist, Seek One renders old-school cultural icons like David Bowie, Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger and Muhammad Ali into playfully abstract pop creations that straddle the edge of fame and luxury.

“As a contemporary artist, I aim to develop one of one pieces of fine art that bring iconic figures, vintage media and street style into one,” Seek One says via email. “My work stems from my background as a graffiti street artist and photographer while also depicting nostalgic influences from my childhood and world travels…Blurring the lines between urban culture and fine art has established my unique style of art bringing iconic images and street style together.”

Here’s a sampling of Seek One’s work, from Bowie to Bardot and beyond.  

For more on Seek One, check out his website and Instagram. 

The French love of nudity has long been embraced in the pages of Lui, the high-end erotic glossy with a storied history of featuring beautiful women au naturale.

Since it began printing in 1963, countless cover models, from Brigitte Bardot to Jane Birkin and beyond, have flashed décolleté and derrière for the Lui’s playfully sensual spreads. That impressive pedigree continues today with contemporary cover models like Rita Ora and Lily Aldridge. But for right now at least, we’re kind of feeling the throwback vibe. 

So let’s revisit some old-school erotica with ten vintage Lui covers from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, shall we?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIaIIagjPlQhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BDD9M4oCzbAhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BH1eUY5juUZhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BEd6zGfizfnhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BGbQOr8CzTbhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BHSSRPVjeG6https://www.instagram.com/p/BGJtALMCzXVhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BEwFYsrCzXJhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BD6G4LGCzX3https://www.instagram.com/p/BDVzsY_CzYD

Want more? Check out the Lui Instagram page for additional vintage shots, which they post every #ThrowbackThursday.