It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin by Marisa Meltzer

 

Summary (from the publisher): The first comprehensive biography of Jane Birkin—actress, singer, and legendary style icon—and her profound cultural impact, from the “acerbic, culturally astute, and genuine” (The New York Times) author of the instant New York Times bestseller Glossy.

Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl?

Now, New York Times bestselling author Marisa Meltzer sheds new light on Birkin’s enigmatic life and explores her profound influence on generations in a rigorously reported biography unlike any other.

It Girl paints a vivid portrait of Birkin and her profound legacy, from her early years in 1960s London to her rise as a beloved celebrity in France, detailing personal challenges, her relationships with creative powerhouses, and the duality of her public and private selves. Based on interviews and deep archival research, Meltzer reveals the nuances of Birkin’s her famously tempestuous romantic relationships, life with her three famous daughters, and the creative energy that drove her. It Girl tells the story of her indelible impact on femininity and style, and how what we think of as French girl style grew from her. Far from being just a muse, Birkin is at last given her well-deserved due.

Review: Thank you to Goodreads giveaways and Atria books for a gifted copy of this book.

"She was a tastemaker who changed the world around her, altered the cultural fabric of the times with her artistry and individuality. The nature of her fame can only really be understood when it's viewed in its totality." She was a complex and flawed woman who navigated a web of ambitions, creativity, and relationships. Again and again, her image was taken away from her, and yet she worked to take it back and wrestle with her own history. It was not one outfit, one relationship, one song, or one role. Jane Birkin made herself real" (177)

This was an interesting biography of Jane Birkin, known for her acting, singing, legendary style, and huge cultural impact. Despite being associated and mostly known for her life and work in France, Birkin was born in 1946 Britain to a fairly well-to-do family. Her father was from a family that owned Birkin Lace since 1825, and her mother was a well-known stage actress. Birkin's godmother was Winston Churchill's daughter Sarah. Jane felt most at home in France and mostly starred in French-speaking acting roles. She went on to have three children with three different men, all of whom were much older than her. She lived according to her own rules, flouting convention, standard wardrobe roles, and parenting standards of the day. 

Interestingly, Birkin seemed to have little interest or regard for the famous bag that bears her name. The bag's creation was due to a chance encounter on a plane, when she happened to sit down with the chief executive of Hermes and he offered to design a bag for her. She didn't treat the bag as a precious possession but used it well, stuffing it to the brim with everything she hauled about as a mom and busy career woman. In fact, the bag was so full and heavy that her friends called it a "mobile warehouse" and Birkin herself said it "weighed as much as a dead donkey" and let it get really beat up with use (122). Ironically, the bag is just another example of her name being taken from her. Throughout her life, she struggled to have her identity and work viewed independently from the famous men she dated. The Birkin bag represented yet another to obscure her identity and work behind a facade that wasn't really a representation of her at all. 

This is a slim little volume of a book with tiny print that somehow resembled its subject matter: a slight and thin woman with a dense interior. It is obvious that the author did her research and rustled up as many details as could be gleaned. I do wish we had more detailed breakdown of her relationships and her children and their lives. But I knew almost nothing about Jane Birkin before going into this biography and I leave it with a profound understanding of who she was and what shaped her life. 

Stars: 4