Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot may not have invented the breathless blonde genre—Marilyn Monroe was the head of that pack—but there's no denying that "Bebe" put an inimitably French spin on the American original.

The seductively messy mass of buttery curls framing an impish, good-natured grin, all set atop abundant curves and legs as long as the Eiffel Tower, added up to a delightfully headspinning bombshell à la française. No wonder Bardot's particular incarnation of femininity continues to inspire; just take a look at Spring's runways, where kittenish blondes abounded and va-va-voom sex appeal was to the fore.