Chanel’s Little Black….Jacket!

June 18, 2012 mjone1997

The House of Chanel, where Coco Chanel iconized the simplicity and style of the Little Black Dress, has been the talk of the fashion world with its Little Black Jacket. The jacket is Chanel’s well-known four-pocket tweed jacket, first envisioned by Chanel in 1954 and made for both comfort and style. This iconic piece will be displayed in a book and interpreted in different ways through black and white photographs. It showcases how the jacket is such a staple that it can be worn anyway you want and paired with even a pair of torn up jeans and still make you look fabulous! The book is a collaborative work of Carl Lagerfeld, the head of the house of Chanel, and former Vogue France editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld. Lagerfeld described the jacket as being “a man’s jacket which has become a typical feminine piece… the symbol of a certain feminine elegance–nonchalant and timeless, which means for all time.” When asked about his project, he said, “The interesting thing is that one simple thing, a little jacket with four pockets, you can play so much and create 120 different types.” Some of the people photographed for the book include Sarah Jessica Parker, wearing a cropped version of the jacket and a full length version over a crown, Joan Smalls, wearing three jackets wrapped around her head, top and lower regions like a sarong, and Kanye West wearing the jacket like a regular cardigan with rosary beads. The book, The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited, will be published later in the summer. Over the past few months, the photographs have been displayed in exhibits in Japan and recently have come to New York and will be in Taipei next week. The exhibit, as well as the website devoted to the classic jacket, give away some of Chanel’s secrets to creating the famous piece. The website even has a video of one being made, from sketch to finished work of art and the making of the book. I feel that the jacket is amazing and “timeless” as Lagerfeld referred to it countless times. It is beautifully crafted with a simple elegance.