Brigitte Bardot's Most Daring Outfits Ever

Retired actor Brigitte Bardot donned an array of daring outfits over her life. Bardot's death at age 91, which marks one of the last celebrity deaths of 2025, has sparked a renewed interest in not only her long-standing film career but also her brushes with fashion. Like Farrah Fawcett, who was renowned for her fashion sense as much as her iconic head of hair, Bardot used fashion to establish herself inside and outside of the film world. Over her multi-decade career, which spanned the '50s, '60s, and '70s, Bardot experimented with a multitude of daring, edgy, and sometimes, classic silhouettes.

During a foreword to "Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion," penned by Henri-Jean Servat, the French actress explained the mechanics of her personal style. "The Bardot style is simply my own style; in other words, it's not a style at all," she wrote (via The French Life). "I dressed in the same way as I did my hair: depending on what took my fancy, and what I felt like at that moment. I wore elegant gowns designed by the top couturiers as well as gorgeous gypsy outfits that were unconventional." She continued, "I'm proud I created a style that doesn't go out of fashion — because I was never fashionable!" With that said, while she wore fur earlier in her career, she gave it up when animal activism became a key part of her life. "I live the life of a farmer," she explained to The Guardian in 2015 about her foundation's decision to boycott designer Karl Lagerfeld's use of animal fur. "I don't see how I could wear Lagerfeld's designs while feeding my goats," continued the star.

Despite Bardot's evolving moral dilemma around fashion, she left behind a stunning fashion legacy, including many daring looks.

In 1971, Brigitte Bardot starred in "Las Petroleras," known to American audiences as "The Legend of Frenchie King." Bardot was photographed in character as a woman named Louise while wearing the sultry number above. While the look definitely straddled the line between modesty and sensuality, especially for the time period, it had just enough of an edge to make our list. As you can see, Bardot donned the gray, Western-appropriate dress, complete with a corset and a deep rectangular bustline, while doing promotional shoots.

Brigitte Bardot proudly donned bikinis at a time when such displays weren't widely accepted. In fact, Vogue credited Bardot with helping usher in a steep increase in bikini wear, following her deeply controversial promotional shoot for one of her projects — a theme she repeated over her career. In 1952, for example, Bardot was photographed on the beach wearing a particularly scandalous floral bikini that left very little to the imagination while filming "Le Trou Normand," which U.S. viewers knew as "Crazy for Love."

In 1959, Brigitte Bardot posed for a professional portrait wearing a simple, yet ultra-flirty black leotard with quarter sleeves. The photo was taken by the studio that produced her film, "A Woman Like Satan." Bardot, who hit a chic pose that featured her hands draped over her head, paired the look with black stockings and a thick belt to show off her stunning figure. Bardot's hairstyle — large, tousled, slightly messy curls — which she styled swept to one side of her face, also helped to elevate the daring number.

Brigitte Bardot officially retired from her acting career in 1973, when she was just shy of turning 40 years old. However, she made the most of her remaining time in the spotlight, especially where fashion was concerned. In 1970, three years before Bardot renounced her fame, she was photographed wearing a champagne-colored, spaghetti-strapped dress with a sweetheart neckline. The look, adorned with a soft geometric pattern, was just revealing enough to make it daring — even during the more progressive '70s.

Perhaps one of her most daring looks of all time, Brigitte Bardot made headlines in 1969 when she appeared at the "Night of the Cinema" to receive an award for her acting prowess. As you can see, Bardot's look, which featured a sheer black dress over what appears to be a sparkly bikini-type situation, looked fashionably out of place amid the sea of suits she was standing next to. However, Bardot never cared to live up to society's expectations of her, whether that be with her fashion or her animal activism.