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Sticking two fingers up at bourgeois sartorial norms, Jane Birkin (b 1946), became one of the most famous women in France as a result of her relationship with singer Serge Gainsbourg. Her role in Blow Up (1966) established her as a pretty young thing who epitomised the style zeitgeist, and she sealed her notoriety when she and Gainsbourg recorded the duet  Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus in 1969.

Her penchant for going bra-less and wearing skirts so short they scarcely covered her rear end further enhanced her image as a free-spirited product of her time. After mentioning she couldn't find a handbag to suit her needs (her straw basket went everywhere with her), Hermès created a style especially to her requirements, and the Birkin bag was born. Her style is today revered by the likes of Alexa Chung and her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, all of whom emulate her boyish, sexy chic.

Here, Handbag pays homage to the enduring style of celebrity fashion icon Jane Birkin.

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 Picture: Jane Birkin, carrying her trademark basket, in jeans and a white top