Birkin's Paris: Effortless Rive Gauche

The Birkin Myth

She didn't set out to be a style icon. She just put on a white t-shirt, slipped into wide-leg jeans, grabbed her basket bag, and somehow defined an entire decade. Her Paris was the Left Bank — bookish, musical, gloriously undone.

The Streets

Rue de Seine and Rue Jacob in the 6th were her neighborhood. The galleries here still show photography from the Gainsbourg era. The vintage shops tucked between them carry the exact pieces she made famous: button-fly Levis, striped boatneck tops, and thatch basket bags.

The Café Life

Café de Flore was her second living room. She'd bring Charlotte in a stroller and sit for hours with a café allongé. Order one. Watch the Saint-Germain crowd. Feel the effortless cool.