The celebrities come out to rejoice Jane Birkin in probably the most casually stylish funeral of the yr: CLAUDIA JOSEPH provides her verdict because the stellar friends paid homage to the late fashion icon
It was a funeral which paid homage to her position as bohemian trend muse, fashion icon and insouciant insurgent.
When Jane Birkin was remembered yesterday at Paris’ Saint-Roch church, a coterie of actresses, singers and fashionistas turned out to rejoice the lifetime of the girl who was the inspiration for the world’s most iconic bag – the Hermes’ Birkin.
Not like British funerals, there was not a veiled headpiece or pearl necklace in sight. As an alternative, France‘s trend elite nonchalantly blended French designer labels with darkish sun shades, kohl eyeliner and minimal, exquisitely costly, equipment. All within the Parisienne’s favorite color, black.
It was Jane’s daughters, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, 51, and singer Lou Doillon, 40, who set the tone, honouring their mom, who, although born in London, grew to become, along with her gap-toothed smile, flopping fringe, and tousled mattress hair, the epitome of French stylish.
In a touching transfer, each wore tuxedo ‘Le Smoking’ jackets, the enduring design that made couturier Yves Saint Laurent’s title in 1966 – the yr Jane adopted the France as her homeland.
Charlotte Rampling (left) in an off-the-cuff cream cardigan and First Girl Brigitte Macron (proper) along with her £3,000 purse
Catherine Deneuve (left) teamed £690 Vivier heels and a Prada bag, whereas Vanessa Paradis (proper) wore denims and straw trilby
It was Jane’s daughters, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (proper), 51, and singer Lou Doillon (left), 40, who set the tone
Gainsbourg (whose father was the actor/singer Serge Gainsbourg with whom Birkin recorded J t’aime) wore a £2,365 Saint Laurent satin lapel tuxedo jacket and £1,105 Saint Laurent trousers, whereas Doillon is believed to have teamed a £2,170 single-breasted jacket with YSL trousers.
It was a becoming tribute: within the Sixties each Jane and Yves had been already trend legends. Greater than half a century later Birkin posed for YSL in a collection of black and white photographs, teaming ‘Le Smoking’ with a easy white shirt.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t simply household that gave Jane a trend send-off worthy of the catwalk’s entrance row.
France’s First Girl Brigitte Macron teamed a black £735 jacket and matching £320 trousers by French designer Barbara Bui with a £3,050 Louis Vuitton purse.
Catherine Deneuve, who impressed Roger Vivier’s iconic Belle De Jour pumps, named after the eponymous movie, plumped for £690 Vivier heels and a Prada bag, whereas Bond woman and actress Carole Bouquet, now Chanel’s home ambassador, wore classic Chanel gold-heeled loafers.
Different friends, nonetheless, appeared to have channelled Jane’s bohemian contact. Singer Vanessa Paradis wore denims and straw trilby, whereas actress Emmanuelle Beart turned up in £14.99 Zara trousers.
One actress, French-Algerian star Maiwenn, even stood on the steps of the church in her classic Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche coat, unlit cigarette hanging out of her mouth, rifling by means of her Bottega Veneta bag for a lighter. Jane, little doubt, would have accepted.
