Jane Birkin sizzles in Saint Laurent fashion shots

Jane Birkin has made a surprise modeling debut for Saint Laurent.
The French fashion house has unveiled the British actress and singer, 69, as the latest addition to its 'Music Project'.

The label took to Twitter earlier this week to reveal two black and white shots of the star shot by the house's creative director Hedi Slimane. Taken in the Yves Saint Laurent couture studio in Paris, the images show Birkin staring candidly into the camera, sporting the brand's iconic 'Le Smoking' jacket, paired with a crisp, unbuttoned white shirt and soft bangs framing her face. The pictures are captioned simply: 'Jane Birkin / "Le Smoking"'.

Since re-joining Saint Laurent in 2012, Slimane has recruited a range of powerful figures within the music industry to star in his 'Music Project' campaigns. In posing for the designer, Birkin joins the likes of Joni Mitchell, Marianne Faithfull and Courtney Love -- all of whom have featured in the series.

Despite rarely making appearances on the fashion scene and having never before fronted a high fashion campaign, Birkin's status as timeless style icon has proven unshakable. She famously inspired the Hermès 'Birkin' bag in 1981 when she met the brand's Chief Executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight. The piece has gone on to become one of the most recognizable fashion accessories in the world.

Slimane is the latest in a wave of designers currently embracing older models for high-profile fashion ads. Sophia Loren fronted the beauty campaign "Dolce Rosa" for Dolce & Gabbana in January this year, while Balmain talent Olivier Rousteing put 49-year-old Cindy Crawford and 45-year-old Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer at the center of the house's Spring/Summer 2016 campaign.