by Josie Reaney
Today marks a year since the passing of Jane Birkin. A singer, actress, and model, she was the embodiment of a 60’s it girl and an icon of the SoHo fashion scene.
Canonised as an infamous Francophile, her provocative duet with Serge Gainsbourg, je t’aime moi non plus, cemented her place in cultural infamy with the song being banned by the BBC and the Vatican.
Birkin caused waves in fashion, pioneering what is now instantly recognisable as ‘French girl style.’ Jane matured into herstyle effortlessly, embracing simple, masculine silhouettes and a pixie haircut. Her legacy in fashion is undisputed, marked by a quintessentially British contrariness propped on the crutches of Parisian simplicity.
Born into privilege in London 1946, Jane was raised in the debutante circles of high society. Her mother, Judy Campbell, was a film and stage actress and the muse of playwright and composer Noel Coward.
Notoriously, Birkin relentlessly compared herself to her mother - a habit that would continuously feed her insecurities and self-critique.
At 17, Jane married composer John Barry and gave birth to her first child two years later. The marriage was deeply unhappy, with Jane recalling crying every night.
It was through an argument with Barry that the world was introduced to Jane Birkin: She auditioned for a small role in the film Blow Up, a role which required nudity. Barry mocked her, claiming she wouldn’t take her clothes off for him so she’d never do it for the camera. Her youthful obstinance proved him wrong thus Birkin was introduced to the nations cinema screens in nothing but a pair of tights.
It seems fitting - Birkin’s impact, her body, and her sexuality played a role in cementing her fame.
Jane and her contemporaries, whether they realised or not, wielded rising hemlines into such a strong statement of feminism and youth that it became the blueprint of 60’s Britian.
Notably, 1968 marked a pivotal year for Birkin, meeting her creative counterpart and long- term partner, Serge Gainsbourg. The two stumbled tumultuously through a passionate twelve-year relationship, becoming iconic lovers enmeshed in France’s cultural psyche as the Lolita-esque ingenue and the aging crooner.
Their life together was unbelievable, with their settled routine as follows: Put the children to bed, go to bars, dance all night, be back in time for the school run and sleep through the day to do it all again.
Together, they were turbulent and theatrical. Birkin once threw herself into the Seine to get the upper hand in an argument, admitting shruggingly “there was a kind of whirlpool, which made it tricky and my top, which was St Laurent, hand- made, shrunk to nothing. Anyhow, I clambered out and we gaily walked home arm in arm.”
It was hedonism at its most glittering and ridiculous.
It was in this relationship that Birkin’s style shone the brightest. Together, the couple pushed aside gender roles and embraced androgyny making the ‘70s see Jane at her most stylistically playful. She moved from jeans to a ballgown as naturally as she could sing. No outfit was curated or over styled, it was simply just Jane.
As she matured, she welcomed simplicity. In her 50s and 60s, her stage outfit was commonly a tuxedo with messy hair and bare feet.
Birkin has been widely admired in fashion, with the most famous nod of appreciation being Hermès' eponymous Birkin bag. As the tale goes, Jane was seated next to Hermès executive Jean Louis Dumas on a flight in 1984 when her signature straw bag fell in the overhead compartment. In response, Dumas promised Jane he would design a sizable leather bag to her taste - thus the Birkin was born.
Jane Birkin is a great inspiration to many and lived an extraordinary life.
She was often vulnerable, fetishised by the media, and controlled by older men, yet still represented feminism and sexual liberation. Her complexity speaks volumes through the very clothes she wore.
Ultimately, it was Janes authenticity which cemented her fashion legacy. Her desire to live each day with a passion was signed off with the flick of a cat eye and barrel loads of charisma. Her playful, free style reflected her very spirit.
Thank God for Jane Birkin, she really did it like no one else.
Edited by Emily Duff