Known as the Hermes Birkin bag's muse, Jane Birkin was still cool, free, and enjoying life at 75. It’s what made her so sexy. She smiled broadly, never minding the wrinkles, and took a walk with her dog in a cashmere jersey and converses. She planned out a performance for a new album. She carried a heavy bag with ease.
What does a day in the life of a French Chic icon turned Grandmother look like?
Many people ask me what habits I maintain to stay healthy, but... there’s nothing! I drink French black coffee in the morning and call my loved ones. And usually, I just do what I want to do. If I want to lie down again, I just lie down. There was a time when I decided to exercise after suffering a stroke and worrying those around me. But I quickly returned to my normal lazy state. Wouldn't it be worse for my health if I worried too much about everything and tried too hard? When I finish drinking my coffee, I will take a walk with my beloved dog, Bella. It won't take long. She doesn't like to move a lot any more than I do.
I haven’t really looked in the mirror since I was in my 60s. I rarely put on makeup, and I don't apply more than 3 products to my face. I hate getting old, but I can't help it. I don't feel anxious or sad because of my appearance. Honestly, I don't really pay it any mind.
When I was young, I had a lot of concerns about my appearance. My mother was such a picturesque person. Unlike my older sister who looked like my mother, I resembled my father, like a plain and boring little boy. When I met Serge Gainsbourg in Paris, I felt secure in my appearance for the first time. He held my hand and found women who looked like me in the Louvre. And he told me that in his world, I was the most beautiful person, the standard of beauty.
After that, the girl who slept with an eyeliner under her pillow disappeared. After I turned 28, I cut my hair short and shot a movie without makeup. That’s when people started talking about my job, not my appearance.
My mother had been getting older. One day, she looked in the mirror and lamented that her beauty had disappeared. Standing beside her, I thought that her loose skin was so soft. I loved her even more for it.
Now, I'm just as old as my mother was back then, and I feel like lamenting that when I look in the mirror. Instead, I think of how great it is to hug my grandchildren with soft skin. Everything else is the same as before. I still sing, act, and write. I'm still having fun.
I have lunch at the old Brasserie in Saint-Germain with my long-time concert planner. As you get older, your friendships deepen and you can enjoy many privileges at your regular restaurants.
If you come to Paris, try the special menu at ‘Vagenende'. Oysters and white fish dishes are really delicious. It's a little expensive, but a classic French lunch is worth it.
By the time the dessert comes out, we search through heavy Birkin bags and take notes about the next performance and talk seriously. There's nothing in this bulging bag. The strap has a lot of house keys, watches, scarves, and beads hanging from it. Some people call it luxury and treat it dearly, but to me the bag is just a bag. It’s good to put stuff in, like that 2-euro rattan bag you carried around in your 20s.
These days, I hate Netflix and Instagram the most. I have to put up with Instagram to see photos of my grandchildren, but Netflix is really unbearable! Watching a movie alone at home… I much prefer to watch movies with my friends at the cinema
I have a family member who gets angry when I come home late even though I am 75 years old. It’s Bella. She gets so aggravated. You have to hold her like a baby and soothe her. Besides that I'm glad to receive calls from my beloved daughters and grandchildren in the evenings.
I say good night with my favorite words. "Tomorrow is another day" That's what my mother used to say. Even after becoming a grandmother myself, of course, mother knows best.
