Catherine Deneuve’s character, Séverine Serizy, is a bored housewife who finds sexual reawakening when she becomes ‘Belle de Jour’ – a daytime prostitute in 60s Paris. Directed by Luis Buñuel, the film is subtly surrealist, and this aesthetic is made evermore captivating through Séverine’s sartorial style. With many of the outfits designed by Yves Saint Laurent, her looks carefully enhance the Belle de Jour’s paradoxical nature: Parisian elegance meets BDSM tendencies. Check out our top style lessons below so you too can exude Deneuve’s mysterious and iconic appeal…

hide your sins with eyewear

There’s nothing like a pair of sunglasses to hide a multitude of sins – whether its a bad hangover or secret daytime prostitution, let the dark frames do the talking. Accompany them with a sharp beret like Séverine and you’ll have a recipe for classic Parisian perfection.

think impure, dress demure

Séverine’s updos are perfectly coiffed when adhering to her housewifely duties, her sleek blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun to keep the dark thoughts slicked away. As Belle de Jour, however, Catherine Deneuve’s locks cascade into freedom, along with her sadomasochistic kinks.

work military chic

Confuse those bourgeois conformists by breaking boundaries, Séverine pairs a sleek black cap with a nude military shirt in an empowering manner. Suppressing sexuality only leads to turmoil for Deneuve’s character, but her conservative looks grant her the secret facade for her erotic double life.