French designers By Nikki

Lacoste Guerlain Hermes Jean-Paul Gaultier Givency

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LacosteFrench tennis player René Lacoste started this line, which originally started out as the famed polo shirt with a crocodile logo, and has now expanded into both casual and athletic wear, handbags (from sporty to almost dressy), shoes, accessories, and fragrance. Lacoste is one of the first luxury brands to recognize casual clothing as high fashion. Today, the Lacoste brand is very involved in professional tennis.

Lacoste

GuerlainGuerlain is a high quality line of makeup and fragrance. It is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world, dating back to the early 1800s. It was a family brand from its inception. The brand's legacy lives on today, even though the house was taken over by Louis Vuitton's parent company in the 1990s. Members of the Guerlain family still take part in the design process.

Guerlain

Hermès' line of handbags, fragrance, and accessories is extremely prestigious and pricey. While canvas handbags can be found on sale for several hundred dollars, the line's most coveted items, the "Kelly" bag, named for Princess Grace Kelly, and the "Birkin" bag, named for French actress Jane Birkin, require a waiting list and cost several thousand dollars. Each handbag is handcrafted individually, ensuring the finest quality for that top dollar.

Hermes

Jean Paul GaultierJean-Paul Gaultier's fashion line includes clothing, handbags, accessories, and fragrance. Gaultier is not a typical fashion designer. He did not attend fashion school, and he was essentially "discovered" by submitting his sketches to haute couture designers. His designs are very modern and edgy, in contrast to his more classic, old-fashioned predecessors.

Jean-Paul Gau

GivenchyAlthough the Givenchy label includes clothing and accessories (Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy were two of many famous wearers), today it is best known for its fragrance and makeup. Hubert de Givenchy, a very well-to-do Frenchman of Italian descent, founded the line in 1952, and it has been a staple of Western fashion ever since.

Givenchy