Style icon: Audrey Tautou

She is one of the more underrated cinema stars of our time yet certainly one of the most beautiful. French actress Audrey Tautou, noted for her tiny gamine physique and pixie looks, is perhaps most famous for her leading role as the quirky Montmartre waitress in Amelie in 2001 or as the face of the Chanel No 5 campaign of 2009.

The revelation that she had been chosen as the face of the world's most renowned perfume did not come to me as any surprise. Everything that Chanel No 5 was, she was too: classic, alluring and undeniably...French!

Not that her statement look is such a difficult one to simulate. Her outfits provide an interesting mix of the masculine and feminine, combining little T shirts, long-sleeved tops and simple knitwear staples with minimal accessories. These are items that we all possess, yet never seem to succeed when it comes to that twist of classic French chic. In our society which promotes sex-appeal through minimal attire and the idea that less-is-more, Audrey's image comes as a refreshing new approach to the meaning of la coquette.