Jane Birkin

JANE BIRKIN TAUGHT ME A LESSON

Actress/singer Jane Birkin’s funeral was a huge deal in Paris. Thousands of fans lined the streets while her celebrity friends and family were inside the church. The event was live-streamed on a huge screen outside so everyone could watch. Speaking of the Birkin bag, on my first trip to Paris decades ago, I foolishly bought what passed for a dark red leather Birkin bag. It was probably a knock-off, but it looked good and cost a LOT. It became my daily bag in LA when I got home, and still is the only handbag that a strange man complimented me on. THAT should have been a clue. One night I took it to The Candy Store nightclub in Beverly Hills and it was stolen off the table while I was dancing. Disaster- my drivers license, credit cards, and makeup were all gone! I learned a painful lesson: NEVER carry an expensive or desirable looking handbag. You are ASKING for trouble!

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

THE BAG IS NOW MORE FAMOUS THAN JANE BIRKIN

Here’s the woman who started the whole “Birkin bag” mania. Singer Jane Birkin gained fame in London in the swinging 60’s and moved to France and became a huge star. In 1982 she was on a plane seated next to eh CEO of Hermes, and when she stowed her handbag in the overheaed compartment, the contents fell out on the floor. She complained that she had a hard time finding a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984 the CEO created the handmade bag for her and it immediately became highly collectible and a symbol of conspicuous consumption because it was so expensive and hard to get – the company had waiting lists! And the price goes up to $150,000. For a HANDBAG! Anyway, Jane, 66, is still performing – and just appeared in London. Click “>HERE to listen to Jane’s hit “Je T’aime,…Moi Non Plus.”

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News