Every generation has their own "it girl", but once every blue moon, there comes a presence so alluring, they transcend generation. Jane Birkin was one. Born in Marylebone, London, she went on to become an icon in her adopted home, France, after a long and illustrious career as an actress, singer, and model.
Birkin broke into the industry during the early era of the Swinging Sixties in London, appearing in films such as The Knack ...and How to Get It, Blowup, Kaleidoscope, and Wonderwall. It was in 1968, when she won the audition to play the female lead role in the French film Slogan opposite Serge Gainsbourg, that Birkin's path began to take a turn-even though she was not able to speak French. The theme song for the film, "La Chanson de Slogan", was the first instance of Gainsbourg and Birkin's long-running collaboration. While after finishing Slogan Birkin was supposed to go back to England, a role in La Piscine "saved" her from doing so, enabling her to move to France permanently.
History of Jane Birkin
Birkin's notoriety skyrocketed via her duet with Gainsbourg, "Je t'aime... moi non plus"-a sensual song originally written by Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot. Due to its contents and the myths surrounding the recording process-an untrue rumor that stated the song was recorded under the covers when Gainsbourd and Birkin shared a moment of intimacy-the song was banned in numerous countries, including Birkin's homeland. Still, the song went on to break records as it made UK chart history-even so far as being on two different chart positions, on 4 October and on 11 October 1969. There are no differences between the song aside from the fact that it was released under different record labels.
It was not long after the pair met that they started an often-turbulent romantic relationship. She was Gainsbourg's muse, and the two would greatly influence one another in their artistic outputs, creating works that stood the test of time. While the pair separated in 1980, Gainsbourg continued to write for Birkin and Birkin also continued to perform Gainsbourg's songs for the rest of her life. After the separation, she once stated that they were better as friends and Gainsbourg's songs were better after she left.
Birkin's effortless charisma and elegance would in later years be synonymous with the chic "French girl style". An assortment of denims, military surplus khakis, t-shirts, and men's jackets often adorn Birkin's alluring androgynous figure. While her name is now synonymous with one of the most desired luxury handbags in the world, Birkin's true charm is that she was able to make the simple everyday pieces feel luxurious.
The story of her namesake bag also happened through a chance encounter in 1984. Her bag of choice was a straw basket which she carried everywhere. During a flight from Paris to London, Birkin placed her straw basket in the overhead compartment of her seat, when the overloaded bag spilled its contents to the floor. She griped with the man sitting next to her that she couldn't find a bag big enough to suit her needs as a young mother. The man, Jean-Louis Dumas, was the chief executive for Hermès and offered to make Birkin a bag to suit her needs and name it after her. Thus, an icon was made.
Funnily enough, Birkin rarely wore her namesake bag after some years, claiming that it became too heavy for her since she "filled the bag with junk and half the furniture from [her house]." In 2015, when the company's questionable production practice of sourcing its leathers came to light, Birkin asked Hermès to rename the bag.
After appearing in more than 70 films and making more than a dozen albums, Birkin stated that she would likely be remembered by "Je t'aime... moi non plus", above all. "When I die, that'll be the tune they play, as I go out feet first," she once stated. In honor of her words, the song will likely echo in countless fans and admirers' audio players of choice and hearts for weeks to come.
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Jane Mallory Birkin, born 14 December 1946; died 16 July 2023.
(alm/tim)