"A girl should be two things; Classy and Fabulous" - Coco Chanel

Friday 12 October 2012

THE LITTLE BLACK JACKET

Hey Dolls! I am absolutely delighted to announce that the exhibition that we have all been eagerly anticipating for has officially arrived in our very own Fashion Capital of the world, London! The ‘Little Black Jacket’ is renowned for being Chanel’s most famous piece. A nonchalant and timeless Jacket created by the one and only Coco Chanel to redefine the way woman dressed, her vision led her to creating a simple black jacket characterised by its beautifully woven tweed and the way the jacket hangs just-so upon the womanly figure. Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld have chosen an effortless and simplistic version of the LBJ to photograph for the exhibition but allows us to see the transformation of the jacket evolve through several alluring styles, some with androgynous aesthetics and some marking the simplistic parisian silhouette.





















The exhibition, now showing at the Saatchi Gallery shows 113 ways of wearing the ‘Little Black Jacket’ through the reinvention of tweed since Chanel transcended the jacket into such an iconic piece in the 50s, we see the Jacket modelled upon iconic people of all ages, from infants to the elderly; sexy to innocent, ballet to rock and roll, the gallery exhibits the same jacket reinvented over and over again.



This classic black jacket dates back to the 1950s where Coco Chanel herself created the look around the time of when Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ revolutionised post-war fashion. The classic tweed jacket was not reminiscent of the cinched in waists by which Dior was creating, instead Chanel took to advocating a “way of dressing that was masculine in its unruffled dignity, while remaining true to its creator’s idea of femininity”, as stated by Justine Picardie in her Biography of Chanel. The jacket has barely changed since the original one of the 50s and is still celebrated for its ever-lasting class and ability to complete any look with effortlessness.

After great anticipation, I shall be visiting the exhibition this week. Keep posted for more on Chanel’s ‘The Little Black Jacket’ and if anyone wants to know more feel free to read ‘The Little Black Jacket Chanel’s Classic Revisited By Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld’ book available now.


THE LITTLE BLACK JACKET

12-28th OCTOBER
SAATCHI GALERY
DUKE OF YORK’S HQ
KING’S ROAD - LONDON SW3 4RY

10AM-6PM
LAST ENTRY 5:30PM

Bea {x}