Jane Birkin’s enduring style legacy

Jane Birkin, who died Sunday aged 76, will be remembered for many things: Her collaboration with long-time partner Serge Gainsbourg, her vocals on his hit “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” and her acting on both stage and screen, among much else.

It is in fashion, however, that her legacy may endure the longest.

The London-born muse who became a star in France, her adopted homeland, has long been considered a style icon. This is thanks, in no small part, to the famous Hermès bag named after her.

Birkin's own Herm's Birkin bags were renowned for their well-worn appearance and chaotic customization, as shown here during a store opening party in Paris in September 2010. - Foc Kan/WireImage/Getty Images

Birkin’s own Hermès Birkin bags were renowned for their well-worn appearance and chaotic customization, as shown here during a store opening party in Paris in September 2010. – Foc Kan/WireImage/Getty Images

The timeless design emerged from a chance encounter between Birkin and the luxury house’s then-chairman, Jean-Louis Dumas, on a flight to London in the 1980s.

Birkin reportedly couldn’t find a leather bag she liked on the market, and instead was often photographed using a wicker basket as a purse. The day before she met Dumas, Gainsbourg accidentally crushed one of her baskets with his car.

Birkin sketched out her idea for a generously-sized handbag on an airplane sick bag. Hermès (which in a statement Sunday said it had lost “a close friend and a long-time companion”) obliged, and the accessories are now selling for tens — and even hundreds — of thousands of dollars.

“When I’m dead, not only (will I be remembered for) ‘Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus’ and ‘Blowup,’” Birkin told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020, referring also to her breakout movie, “but ( people) will possibly only talk about the bag.”

But doing so would overlook the preceding decades, the ’60s and ’70s, in which Birkin’s tousled bangs, basket bags and crotchet pieces epitomized her seemingly nonchalant “French girl style.”

And whether it was high-waisted flares, minidresses or the white gown she famously wore backwards (and which plunged so deeply it had to be affixed with a brooch) to the Gala de l’Union des Artistes in 1969, fans would continue to emulate her unconventional fashion choices.

Over the years, designers including Paco Rabanne and Martin Margiela sought her services as a model and collaborator. And as recently as 2016, she appeared in a campaign for Saint Laurent. Birkin remained an understatedly glamorous fixture on red carpets and stages around the world, as she continued performing well into her later years.

Scroll down to see some of Jane Birkin’s most stylish moments.

Birkin pictured wearing knitwear in 1964. After marrying composer John Barry in 1965, Birkin said she kept a kohl eye pencil under her pillow for quick application of her signature mod liner in case she woke up in the night.  - McKeown/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Birkin pictured wearing knitwear in 1964. After marrying composer John Barry in 1965, Birkin said she kept a kohl eye pencil under her pillow for quick application of her signature mod liner in case she woke up in the night. – McKeown/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The white crochet dress that Birkin wore backwards to the Gala de l’Union des Artistes in Paris in 1969 became one of her best-known looks.  - Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

The white crochet dress that Birkin wore backwards to the Gala de l’Union des Artistes in Paris in 1969 became one of her best-known looks. – Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg met on the set of the 1969 movie "Slogan,"  and quickly fell in love.  - Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg met on the set of the 1969 film “Slogan,” and quickly fell in love. – Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

Birkin's modeling career in the 1960s helped forge her status as a fashion icon.  - REPORTERS ASSOCIES/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Birkin’s modeling career in the 1960s helped forge her status as a fashion icon. – REPORTERS ASSOCIES/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Her outfits were effortless yet elevated.  Pictured here in London in 1973, Birkin wore a pair of high-waisted bell-bottoms with artfully frayed hems paired with a crisp white shirt and strappy heels, and carried one of her signature wicker baskets.  -David Thorpe/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Her outfits were effortless yet elevated. Pictured here in London in 1973, Birkin wore a pair of high-waisted bell-bottoms with artfully frayed hems paired with a crisp white shirt and strappy heels, and carried one of her signature wicker baskets. -David Thorpe/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 1964, Birkin at just 17 landed her first big role in Graham Greene's play,

In 1964, Birkin at just 17 landed her first big role in Graham Greene’s play, “Carving a Statue.” Pictured backstage, she perfectly embodies “off-duty” style in a pair of cigarette trousers and a chunky knit. – Barham/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

In 1974, Birkin took one of her signature wicker baskets to the Cannes Film Festival with Serge Gainsbourg.  Her look —  designed by Yves Saint Laurent —  was finished off with a signature pair of metallic sling-back sandals.  - GIRIBALDI/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

In 1974, Birkin took one of her signature wicker baskets to the Cannes Film Festival with Serge Gainsbourg. Her look — designed by Yves Saint Laurent — was finished off with a signature pair of metallic sling-back sandals. – GIRIBALDI/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Birkin starred in the 1973 film "Don Juan"  alongside fellow French fashion icon Brigitte Bardot.  - Collection Christophel/Alamy Stock Photo

Birkin starred in the 1973 film “Don Juan” alongside fellow French fashion icon Brigitte Bardot. – Collection Christophel/Alamy Stock Photo

During another red carpet event at Cannes in 1974, Birkin accessorized her blush-toned velvet dress with a pearl necklace and her favorite basket bag.  - Michel Ginfray/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

During another red carpet event at Cannes in 1974, Birkin accessorized her blush-toned velvet dress with a pearl necklace and her favorite basket bag. – Michel Ginfray/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Birkin bags have enjoyed a 500% increase in value in the last 35 years, and are seen by many as a shrewd investment in high-end fashion.  Birkin's own collection was famous for its lived-in look, however, as seen here at a birthday party she attended in Paris in 1993. - Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/French Select/Getty Images

Birkin bags have enjoyed a 500% increase in value in the last 35 years, and are seen by many as a shrewd investment in high-end fashion. Birkin’s own collection was famous for its lived-in look, however, as seen here at a birthday party she attended in Paris in 1993. – Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/French Select/Getty Images

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