You think of Jane Birkin and that impossibly understated nonchalance springs to mind; that innate sense of style, a downplayed elegance that generations of women have tried to capture ever since and only sometimes succeeded in doing so.

We think we might have found the source of all her strength: it's a basket. Nothing special, just your average wicker number, into which is slung all manner of cool Parisian apparatus, like cigarettes and a trenchcoat. Rumour has it, Serge Gainsbourg was so diminutive in stature, he too wound up in the Birkin's basket on several occasions.

In all seriousness, doesn't it suddenly become clear how Jane Birkin managed that 'this old thing' aesthetic with this trusty basket at her side? Not only does it confer instant pastoral coquettishness, it's also big enough to stash almost anything you need for a day out, including a change of shoes and an extra jumper. Not for her the lugging of an extra tote bag full of gym kit and packed lunch.

We're calling it the creaky, chic-y feelgood impulse buy of the summer – see what you make of these, these and these, from £4 to £30.