Let's talk about... the one and only Jane Birkin
- tashhtalks
- Aug 15, 2017
- 3 min read
In this blog post, we're discussing the lovely Jane Birkin, the legendary English singer and actress who learnt french off a tape recorder. But, why is she still discussed when her most popular films came out in the 60s and 70s?
Her Films
Jane descended into fame in the Swinging Sixties when she had a brief appearance in Blow Up (1966), played a model in Wonderwall (1968) and then was given the main female lead in Slogan (1969) where she met Serge Gainsbourg- the love of her life. She appears alongside Romy Schneider in La Piscine (1969), played Brigitte Bardot's lover in Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman (1973) and had a role in a horror film called Dark Places that same year. She also appeared in two Agatha Christie films: Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982).
Her music
Her most famous song is definitely her duet with Serge Gainsbourg Je t'aime moi non plus which they released in 1969. It caused much of a scandal for its sexual explicitness and made UK Chart History in October of that year as the song was at two different chart positions due to the fact that it was released by two different record labels! However this wasn't her only single, in fact, she released 12 albums, the most recent being Birkin / Gainsbourg: Le symphonique which came out this year! My favourite of her songs are Di doo dah and Quoi!
Her Style
If I ever need some fashion inspiration I always turn to Jane and I forever will. Her look is classic and effortlessly cool, it practically defined what it means to look Parisian. When I think Jane Birkin, what comes to mind are flared denim jeans, her iconic wicker basket, short short dresses, white shirts and long, dangling necklaces. Plus, we can't forget the hair: long, wild brown locks with the infamous fringe. This is exactly how every wannabe french IT girl desires to appear. Personally, it is perfection.
^^ So many necklaces!
^^ Here is my favourite Jane look!
^^ I desperately want those jeans wow!
^^ The ultimate airport style.
^^ So simple yet so stunning.
^^ Here is a still from La Piscine, she even carried her basket in her films!
The Birkin Bag
I absolutely adore the story of why this bag came to be. This is how it goes: Jane was taking a flight from Paris to London in 1983 and happened to sit next to the chief executive of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. She placed her classic straw bag in the overhead compartment but, unfortunately, the contents fell to the floor and her possessions spilled everywhere. She then explained to Jean-Louis how impossible it was to find a leather weekend bag that she liked. So, he created one for her and named it after her. Lucky thing! Ironically, she only used it for a bit as she complained that it was too heavy! However, it has become a status symbol and is the most popular handbag for collectors. Victoria Beckham has over 100 of them! What I want to know is how much she has spent on them, considering the prices range from prices range from $11,900 to $300,000!! (My favourite designs are down below.)
So to conclude and answer my question from the start, the reason why Jane is still so appreciated is due to her classic French style that people take inspiration from every single day, her 13 year love affair with Serge Gainsbourg and of course the Hermès bag that everyone wishes they could afford.
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