The English girl in Paris who carried a basket everywhere and ended up with the world’s most famous bag.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
Who was Jane Birkin?
An English actress and singer who moved to France in the late 1960s, became Serge Gainsbourg’s partner and recorded “Je t’aime… moi non plus” with him in 1969. She lived in Paris for the rest of her life and became the model for the effortless “French girl” look, despite being British. She died in 2023.
What was her look?
Undone and unfussy: white T-shirts, flared jeans, mini dresses, men’s shirts, sheer tops, a fringe, little makeup and, always, a wicker basket instead of a handbag. Later she wore men’s tailoring and battered trainers. Her daughters, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, carry on the style.
How was the Birkin bag created?
On a flight from Paris to London in 1984, the contents of her straw basket spilled out, and she told the man in the next seat that she could never find a leather bag big enough. He was Jean-Louis Dumas, the head of Hermès. He sketched a roomy bag with her, and it was named after her. The Birkin is now the most coveted bag in the world; read is the Birkin still worth it?
How did she treat her own Birkin?
Roughly, which is part of the legend. She covered it in stickers, charms and beads, stuffed it full and let it slump, and gave several away for charity auctions. Her way of making a precious object look lived-in is exactly what the current fashion for bag charms copies. See the It-Bags.
Read on Ayerhs: Is the Birkin Still Worth It? · What Is French Girl Style? · The Bag Charm Economy