Remembering Jane Birkin, an icon of French girl chic
As is often the case with new fashion trends, they've been around the style block a few times before. This season's popular crochet designs and clogs? You can thank the '70s for that. And cargo pants and butterfly tops may be everywhere in 2023, but they were last spotted in 2003. Fashion is cyclical like that.
Many of the looks we now consider classic, timeless, and effortless go-to's became so thanks to one sartorial champion – Jane Birkin. When it was announced yesterday that the British-French singer, actress, model, and style icon had died at the age of 76, tributes from fashion fans everywhere were quick to pour in.
And no wonder. When Jane first arrived in Paris as the French New Wave scene bloomed, her turns as an actor in films like Slogan and La Piscine epitomised the sexy, playful yet sophisticated aesthetic that ushered in the '60s era of liberated style. Linking with musician Serge Gainsbourg, their creative and romantic partnership made them a bohemian tumultuous power couple. On red carpets, she favoured the shimmering glam of Paco Rabanne. On holidays in St Tropez, she donned simple white tees and denim. Always, effortlessly chic.
The pioneering queen of the naked dress trend, she would wear daring transparent dresses to parties and film premieres, and will forever be associated with the very relatable chaos of her overflowing wicker basket that she took everywhere.
Jane is where what we think of as 'French girl chic' originated from. Despite being born and raised in London, she spent the majority of her life there. President Emmanuel Macron described her as a "French icon" when he heard the news of her death.
While 'Parisian girl style' has lost so much of its meaning now (it's *so* much more than a Breton and beret), if you look back at Birkin’s sartorial history, the takeaway is in the attitude and elegance Jane modelled. Jane had an innate ability to combine the most alluring elements of British and French style – seeing the basic and understated in new ways and adding a Parisian sensuality is so inherent to her. She knew when to coolly pull back and when to playfully push forward.
Jane's biggest fashion claim to fame is arguably when she lent her name to Hermès. As any fashion girlie will know, a Birkin bag is more than just a bag. With a cameo in Sex and the City and on the arms of '90s and '00s icons, a Birkin is a signifier of ultra-high status. Arguably worth selling a kidney and remortgaging your house for, celebrities who've been seen toting one today include Kylie Jenner, Kate Moss, and JLo.
The story of how it came to be is pretty iconic in itself. After boarding a flight back in 1984, Jane was trying to place her aforementioned straw bag in the overhead compartment of the plane when all of her belongings fell out and scattered over herself and the person in the seat next to her. That person just so happened to be Hermès's chief executive, Jean-Louis Dumas.
Jane explained to Jean-Louis that she hadn't been able to find a leather weekend bag she'd liked, and the pair spent the flight dreaming up the ideal bag. Dumas scribbled the designs on the back of a travel sick bag, and the Birkin was born.
In summing up Jane's style legacy, we think she said it best herself, once quipping, “But who wants an easy life? It’s boring!”
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