Forget the little black dress. The words on everyone’s lips
this week are ‘The Little Black Jacket’. Opening this week at London’s Saatchi
gallery, the much anticipated photography exhibition displays Chanel’s famous
tweed in all its glory.
(Photo courtesy of ego-living.com)
Styled by Carine Roitfeld, and photographed by Karl
Lagerfeld, the exhibition displays 113 pictures of the aforementioned jacket in
its most versatile forms.
It dates back more than sixty years, but what many now think
of as Coco Chanel’s most iconic piece first became revolutionary due to it
contradicting everything that was then fashionable. Collarless and boxy, it was
strikingly different to the clinched in waists and girly necklines of the
1950s. It was practical yet chic, and the women who wore it looked cool,
sophisticated and grown up.
(Photo courtesy of unicornsunleashed.com)
But does it still look cool? Absolutely. Described by Vogue
as the ‘unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment’, Lagerfeld has
reinvented the jacket to something relevant again. From fashion editors to
models, pensioners, hip hop stars and violinists, Lagerfeld and Roitfeld have
proven to us one thing – that this really is the most adaptable piece of
clothing. It can look right in any moment, on any person. Styled with leather trousers and swag a la
Kanye West, or fitted as a bustier
wrapped around supermodel Joan Smalls, its detailing and adaptability is
iconic.
Chanel No.5 fragrance and the must have accessory of the
decade the 2.55 bag have been the fashion house’s financial backbone in recent
years. But ever the opportunist, Lagerfeld has put the spotlight on the Little
Black Jacket again. Without the use of brassy ‘in your face’ logos, the little
black jacket has become something distinctly Chanel, which is sure to follow us
though for (hopefully) another sixty years in the future.
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