M U S I N G

Jane Birkin emerged in the swinging London scene of the 1960s, appearing briefly in the 1966 film Blowup, and as the fantasy-like model in the 1968 psychedelic film, Wonderwall. It was that same year when she auditioned in France for the lead female role in Slogan and though she did not speak French, she won the role. She co-starred with Serge Gainsbourg, and performed with him on the film's theme song "La chanson de slogan," the first of many collaborations between the two. In 1969, she and Gainsbourg released the duet "Je t'aime... moi non plus" (I love you... me neither) a song originally written for Brigitte Bardot. The song caused a scandal for its sexual explicitness, and was banned by radio stations in Italy, Spain, and the UK.

In 1981, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the ground, leaving her to scramble to replace the contents. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, based on an 1892 design, he created a black supple leather bag and called it the the Birkin, which has since become an icon.

Birkin was married from 1965-68 to John Barry, the English composer who wrote the musical score to the James Bond movies. Their daughter, photographer Kate Barry, was born on April 8, 1967. The marriage ended in 1968. She had a passionate and creative relationship with her mentor Serge Gainsbourg, whom she met on the set of Slogan in 1968, a relationship that lasted 13 years. They never married, despite rumours and misreporting to the contrary.In 1971 they had a daughter, the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. They separated in 1980.