How to get the indie look of nouvelle vague cinema.

What will come after streetwear? There are whispers on the wind that indie style – as in the skinny jeans and vaudevillian hats popularised by Mr Pete Doherty – is set to make a comeback. The biggest clues: quintessential indie designer Mr Hedi Slimane’s recent appointment as director of Céline (which will branch out to menswear for the first time later in the year), and The Arctic Monkeys’ new album. Of course, these signifiers could be mere red herrings, but if it is a prospect the sartorial nuances of yesteryear are returning, then it’s surely worth revisiting indie’s influences (if only to see if the fashion has anything to offer outside of fertility-endangering jeans). But where exactly to revisit? Not just to the mid-2000s, you’ll be pleased to hear, but further back to the time that the style movement has to thank for its look. The indie aesthetic romanticised the nostalgia of Paris in the mid-20th Century, which makes nouvelle vague director Mr Jean Luc Godard’s 1960s oeuvre the ideal place to seek inspiration. We explore his films for lessons in timeless dressing, wardrobe essentials and Parisian style.

Mr Godard’s first – and some would say greatest – film, Breathless is about Mr Jean-Paul Belmondo’s Michel killing a policeman and then attempting to flee Paris for Rome. But really, it’s about the rakish heartthrob flirting with Ms Jean Seberg’s Patricia. The lesson here is less in what to wear, and more in how to wear it. Mr Godard told Mr Belmondo and Ms Seberg to wear the clothes they felt comfortable in, and it shows. Mr Belmondo’s suit doesn’t fit perfectly (Mr Belmondo’s character probably stole it), he wears his top button open and tie askew, and his hat is mismatched. Parisian insouciance? Mais naturellement.

Some scenes become so ingrained in popular culture that they eclipse their films altogether. Band Of Outsiders has two of these: the dance scene that Mr Quentin Tarantino famously paid homage to in Pulp Fiction, and the infamous running through The Louvre scene (referenced in Mr Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers). For us, a third reason to watch this film is how quietly, and contemporarily well-dressed the main trio – Mr Claude Brasseur, Mr Sami Frey and Ms Anna Karina – are. The camel coats in the Louvre scene are reminiscent of Rick Owens’ latest collection, and Mr Brasseur’s argyle sweater in the dance scene could be one of the grandad-esque sweaters from the AW18 catwalks of Lanvin or Acne Studios.

In perma-dark Alphaville (the celluloid equivalent of wearing sunglasses indoors), Mr Eddie Constantine is Lemmy Caution, a secret agent tasked with destroying a computer system capable of abolishing humanity. This is dystopian sci-fi without the futuristic aesthetic, so he eschews a Blade Runner-esque ensemble in favour of a classic detective look – think Cold War spy by way of film noir. Mr Constantine is a good reminder of why a trench coat is a worthy addition to any wardrobe, and as Vetements recently demonstrated with their reimagined trench coats, this is a classic garment with plenty of contemporary mileage.

If Mr Belmondo appears a little too just-rolled-out-of-bed, look instead to Mr Michel Piccoli in Contempt – this meta portrayal of a screenwriter selling out his talent (and also Ms Brigitte Bardot, who plays his wife) to Hollywood. Set mostly in Italy (Cinecittà and Capri to be specific), this is essential viewing for anyone looking for summer suit inspiration. Mr Piccoli has that particularly French ability of being immaculately turned out in a pristine suit (his are cream or light grey) even in the height of summer. Most critically, though, he makes a strong argument for finding your signature accessory and wearing it everywhere – in his case it’s his black hat.

And we’re back to Mr Belmondo. Here he plays Ferdinand Griffon on the run with girlfriend Marianne Renoir (and hello again Ms Anna Karina). The film’s final scene is probably the most stylish on-screen explosion ever. Mr Belmondo wrapping himself in cartoon yellow dynamite with blue painted face, red shirt and grey suit is a masterclass in wearing colour. We’re not suggesting you pair your suit with a blue painted face (unless you want to, that is), but more that all these colours can exist harmoniously in one outfit. See also his vivid red tie against a white shirt, and his powder blue suit.