Although she was born in London, Jane Birkin was the original Parisienne cool girl — lovingly adopted by the city aged 22 until her death last night aged 76.
Having grown up with a high-ranking Royal Navy official and World II spy father and an actress mother, Birkin first crossed the channel in 1968 to star alongside French badboy Serge Gainsbourg in the countercultural classic Slogan.
The legendary actress went on to appear in around 70 films, most of which were directed by France’s leading directors, including Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, James Ivory and Agnes Varda. However, it was the song “Je t’aime… moi non plus”, which she made with Gainsbourg, that topped the UK charts in 1969 (despite being banned in several countries and condemned by the Vatican for being too risqué) for which she believed she would be remembered for. “When I die, that’ll be the tune they play, as I go out feet first,” she famously said.
The ‘60s bop also helped catapult the pair to be the most famous couple in France - a title they held during their tumultuous 13-year relationship. “He and I became the most famous of couples in that strange way because of Je t’aime and because we stuck together for 13 years and he went on being my friend until the day he died. Who could ask for more?” Ms Birkin told CNN in 2006. Despite being known for their raging rows (Birkin once tossed herself into the River Seine after throwing a custard pie into Gainsboug’s face) they continued to release music and had a daughter, Charlotte, in 1971, before formally separating in 1980 due to Gainsbourg’s increasing alcoholism.
Her legacy also lives on through the iconic Birkin bag, which was named after her a chance meeting with brand’s then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on Air France. While complaining about the lack of chic weekend bags available for mothers, Dumas "immediately sketched a supple and spacious rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching", according to the Hermès website. Now the Birkin bag is the one of the most exclusive accessories in the world, fetching anywhere between £7,600 and £190,000 and belonging in the closets of A-listers Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian.
Hermès’ infatuation with the starlet was understandable. Long before the #FrenchCoolGirl and #ParisITGirl hashtag on TikTok — and even before Kate Moss’ iconic off-duty model street style of the 90s/00s — Birkin was the dazzling originator of true effortless personal style. Renowned for her utterly chic uniform of a white tee, blue jeans and men’s suit jacket, paired with an overflowing wicker basket or beat-up Birkin, her influence prevails in today’s IT girls like Alexa Chung and Camille Rowe.
With her impact transcending across film, activism, fashion and music, stars from all walks of life have paid tribute to the London-via-Paris icon. Here are some of the best...
Alexa Chung, model, fashion designer and IT girl
“Totally impossible to choose just one image to encapsulate your magnetic essence - and I guess that’s what makes you the perpetual muse. Rest in peace, Jane Birkin. You were It for me.”
Emmanuel Macron, French President
“Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon. A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery. She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us.”
Elisabeth Borne, French Prime Minister
“An unforgettable icon, a unique voice and charm. Through her music and her talent, she will have transcended the generations.”
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris
"Jane Birkin, the most Parisian of the English has left us. We will never forget her songs, her laughter or her incomparable accent that have always accompanied us."
Brigitte Bardot, actor
“When you’re that pretty, that fresh, that spontaneous, with a child’s voice, you don’t have the right to die,” said actress Brigitte Bardot in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse, hailing the artist “eternal in our hearts”.
Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain
“An icon is gone ðï¸ goodbye Jane Birkin. Thank you for all these years of inspiration and beauty. The French English icon that was on every fashion mood board for so many of us. You will always be remembered.”
Linda Evangelista, supermodel
“R.I.P. ð¤ Jane Birkin”
Hermès
In a statement the French luxury house said they had “lost a close friend and a long-time companion.”
“With a shared sensitivity, we grew to know each other, we discovered and appreciated the extent to which Jane Birkin’s soft elegance revealed an artist in her own right, committed, open-minded, with a natural curiosity of the world and others,” it said.
Misan Harriman, photographer
Alongside the poem “Remember” by Christina Rossetti, Harriman posted: “We have lost a giant! RIP #janebirkin” in one Instagram post. “My mother was right: When you’ve got nothing left, all you can do is get into silk underwear and start reading Proust,” he wrote in another.
Mia Farrow, actor
“Heartbreaking news, Jane Birkin was one of the kindest, dearest, funniest, most generous, original and interesting people I’ve ever known. Thoughts with her family.”
Simon Porte, Jacquemus founder and designer
“No words, an icon…to me, to us. FOR EVER JANE.”
Kim Gordon, musician
"RIP Jane Birkin. So sad to hear this! She was always a quiet and powerful inspiration! Lucky to have met her once."
Iggy Pop, musician
“Jane Birkin was a beautiful and unique lady”
Carla Bruni, singer, model and former French First Lady
Johnny Mar, The Smith’s guitarist
“R.I.P Jane Birkin. Playing on her album ‘Fictions’ in 2006 was a lovely experience. A sweet and kind person with a heart for art.”
Pierre Richard, actor and director
“Jane, so funny, so intelligent, so fragile, so generous, so everything! A piece of my heart goes with her.”
