It starts with a winged eye, and ends with a white boot.

A legendary fashion icon of the late 60’s and early 70s, Francoise Hardy is enamored by designers from Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein, to Frida Giannini at Gucci. A singer, actress and astrologer, she is often characterized by her long, lanky hair-do, and au natural make-up. Hardy is the epitome of what many listacles refer to as the French chanteuse of her era, inspiring talents like Bob Dylan who dedicated a poem to her, and Mick Jagger describing Hardy as the “ideal woman”. She’s definitely no ordinary muse.

She still remains as an inspiration even decades later, where she became a muse of Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga who paid homage to her, declaring that Hardy is “the very essence of French style”, as well as one of the inspirational fashion style icons for Alexa Chung.

For some, such high praise coupled with looks and style that resonated continuously could be turning. But even before her shoot to stardom, she remains as a soft spoken, humble and shy person. “I didn’t like what happens when all of a sudden you become very famous and you have to be photographed – I’ve always hated it.” She said in 1962.” “The word “icon” – that’s sometimes used about me. I don’t recognize it. It’s as if you’re talking about someone else.” But Hardy was also known for her nerves, which she jokingly attributed to her being born during an air-raid. But our best bet is that, it is all part of what draws people in... And it works.

She epitomized sixties fashion with one look: a zippy A-line skirt, white turtleneck, belted coat, and her iconic white boots. She’s taken up by fashion houses Yves St Laurent and Paco Rabanne (remember the dress made of glittering gold tiles?), gracing covers of magazines like Elle and Paris Match. She was dressed in all sorts of clothing, but her trademark long dark hair and heavy eye-grazing fringe stayed the same throughout. Now cut to a white crop, she has aged beautifully over her 72 years.