In honour of Jane Birkin who sadly passed away 2 days ago on July 16th 2023, it seemed appropriate to dedicate a blog post to some of the iconic fashion moments she brought us during her life. Jane’s effortless French street style influenced so many and her legacy will prevail continuing to do so in the future.
Jane Birkin was a British and French singer and actress, born on December 14th 1946. She became famous through her marriage to singer and actor Serge Gainsborough, but eventually prevailed with her own fame through her fashion sense and attitude towards life.
The first notable iconic fashion moment to mention is her basket. Jane argued that women had so much to carry around with them that little purses were not enough and didn’t fit everything they needed. Thus she acquired a woven picnic basket to do the job which turned out to be much more influential than she would have expected.
After sitting with the CEO of Hermes where all the contents of her basket fell out, Hermes reached out to her to help them make a bag which was big enough to carry all the things that she and other women would desire. Thus the Birkin bag was created, a bag that costs around £40,000, has huge waitlists and is seen as the bag for so many. However instead of idolising it, Jane used her Birkin bag as any other bag despite the price, thus making her even more iconic.
Jane’s hair is another distinct feature about herself. Her thick fringe is so iconic and her cut and colour influenced so many women at the time to get the same. I can definitely see this hairstyle having a resurgence in popularity due to the star’s passing.
The first outfit that I have selected is this see through dress. I think that it looks so effortless with her long jewellery and minimal makeup. I’m obsessed with her pairing of the dress with those chic timeless shoes. These types of shoes with little kitten heels and a strap are so in right now and can be seen mostly in the ballet core style.
This outfit is also very chic and I really like the puffy shoulders and the straight fit of the dress, it looks very flattering and preppy. I think that these dresses could come back into fashion and be seen more in summer wardrobes as everyone desperately searches for their white summer dress.
Her jewellery in this photograph is very in right now with the current trends. The multiple layers and variation in colours adds dimension to the simplicity of the outfit. The colour of her top is also very well matched to her hair colour, highlighting the importance of colour matching.
This may be my favourite outfit of hers that I have selected for this blog post. The white lace is so minimalist and timeless which brings a level of sophistication to the look. This is then contrasted by the plunging neckline of the dress that surpasses her belly button, adding a daring side to the outfit. I also really like the statement jewellery feature holding the two sides of the dress together, I think this ties it all together and is quite an eclectic addition.
Here is another preppy dress that is similar to the one shown previously. It also features a puffy sleeve and no structure around the torso which makes for a very casual look. I really like how she has paired this with some knee-high boots, as the contrast between the juvenile patterned dress and the mature boots creates a really interesting look.
The final look I have selected for this blog post is a timeless outfit that she pulled off so well. You cant go wrong with a classic white shirt and this plays really nicely against her plaid bottoms. For this simplistic outfit, she has added excitement through her sunglasses which have coloured frames and are huge – a true staple in the 60s and 70s.
“But who wants an easy life? It’s boring!” – Jane Birkin
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