Jane Birkin never conformed to the classical standards of beauty. She felt that she did not fit the traditional idea, but it was precisely from that different feeling that one of the greatest style and beauty icons of the 20th century was born.
When she appeared in the 1960s, Jane didn't have the silhouette that was considered perfect at the time. However, she became a symbol of natural, simple beauty.
"When I was little, I didn't think I would be considered beautiful. I thought I was boring, nothing special."
"My mother looked like a movie star, while I resembled my father. At school they called me 'half girl, half boy' because I had no breasts."
She experimented with makeup early on: eyeshadow, bold eyes, and a unique style. Her father often told her she looked like Cleopatra, but she was struggling to find a balance between who she was and what people expected of her.
A typical moment, when she married John Barry at the age of 18, says a lot about her: she went to sleep with an eyeliner pencil under her pillow so that she could immediately reapply it if she woke up and thought she looked tired. It was a way of keeping in control, not just her image, but the very way she wanted to appear to others.
However, her beauty was not just a matter of makeup. She had something else, an innocent, delicate nature; a naturalness that cannot be imitated. When she moved to France and met Serge Gainsbourg, she found what she had been missing.
"I had never thought I was beautiful, but I knew that he, Serge, thought I was."
Her makeup became a little more minimal: a little lip pencil, which she sometimes used as blush for her cheeks, a little eyebrow pencil, and light foundation.
Accessories were also part of her story. The Birkin bag was not just a bag, but a reflection of her identity, practical, elegant and timeless. What made it special was that it did not try to imitate anyone else: authenticity was its main strength.
Even as the years passed, she did not give in to the constantly evolving and changing ideals of beauty.
This authenticity and simplicity made Jane Birkin, even today, one of the most beloved and unforgettable icons of fashion and beauty.
