What I wore this week: a Birkin bag

A basket bag has adorned the arms of pouting French girls for decades. And it’s the cute way to channel this summer’s pastoral chic

So the good news is that you get to carry a Birkin bag this summer, although the bad news is that it’s not the Hermès version. Thirty-five years after going on sale, the designer It classic that Jane Birkin inspired is still out of the reach of most, what with the £6,750 price tag and a waiting list to boot. (To be fair, though, the resale value makes the bag a better investment than stocks or gold, but still.)

But there is another bag that is just as quintessentially Birkin as the Birkin, and this one is being piled high and sold cheap on the British high street this summer. The basket bag has been a key part of cool-French-girl summer style ever since Birkin was floating around the south of France barefoot in a pair of high-waisted jeans while dangling a basket over one arm – but it is having its most high-profile moment in ages right now. In a season where pastoral chic has trumped poolside glamour as summer’s key dress code, the basket bag brings your look instantly up to date.

Related: What I wore this week: a khaki utility jacket