On the pages of our website we have repeatedly talked about the Chanel jacket. This topic is so deep, interesting and multifaceted that we rediscover it every time.
As you already know, Gabrielle Chanel presented her creation to the discerning public back in 1954, when she was 71 years old. All the fashionistas of that time were hopelessly in love with Christian Dior's dresses, but Coco turned their vision upside down with her daring appearance after almost a decade of absence from the fashion world. Her jacket instantly gained worldwide popularity and subsequently became an iconic item of clothing in women's wardrobe.
Today, the Chanel tweed jacket is still relevant and in demand. Thanks to Karl Lagerfeld, the traditions of the Chanel fashion house are carefully preserved and are reflected in each of its new collections.
The uniqueness of the model lies in the fact that the impeccable cut of the details, exactly following the curves of the female body, does not at all restrict movement. The Chanel jacket, like a second skin, softly fits the figure without any hint of discomfort.
When creating Chanel jackets, manual work is still used, but only at certain stages. One single model from the entire collection is sewn using completely original technology. Each stage, each detail is performed in strict adherence to a certain sequence, as if this jacket was sewn by Coco Chanel herself. These are the details that will be discussed in our article!
Hand stitching
Photo: yorkshireschoolofsewing
To give the jacket dimensional stability, it is necessary to duplicate its details. In some cases, the entire fabric is duplicated and only then begins cutting; this may be due to the nature of the fabric. Previously, there were no interlining materials, which are now in abundance, and the details of the products were duplicated with non-adhesive materials using hand stitching. Chanel used silk organza for her jackets. Moreover, the stitching was done through - the details of the jacket were quilted together with the organza and lining. As a result, the product acquired dimensional stability, but at the same time the fabric retained its lightness, softness and plasticity.
Silk lining
The original Chanel jacket is always sewn with a natural silk lining, which emphasizes its haute couture status. But, besides this, the presence of a silk lining makes it possible to wear the jacket on a naked body.
Hand hinges
All loops are processed manually from the front side of the product. This method requires not just dexterity, but high skill. Since each loop must be made with perfect accuracy and be a copy of its neighbor. For processing, special threads are used for hand loops to give them relief or volume; finishing or decorative threads are also used.
Buttons
Classic buttons on Chanel jackets are usually on the stem, round with a small volume. They come with a pearl center, smooth, with a relief pattern that reflects the character of the collection, or with the symbols of the Chanel fashion house.
Weight chain
Chanel decorated her products with rich decor. And the front of the jacket outweighed the back. To balance out the detailing of the piece, Coco Chanel sewed a gold chain down the back of the jacket. But this technique also has another secret - a visual one, which “makes” your posture. In one stroke, she solved the problem and added another signature detail to her creation.
Hand finishing
One of the main calling cards of a Chanel jacket is hand finishing. In addition to luxurious buttons, unusual fasteners, and decorative stones, each jacket was decorated with hand-woven braid and fringed braids made from the same fabric as the jacket.
Patch pockets
It’s difficult to say what the main purpose of the pockets of a Chanel jacket is, functional or decorative. The way these integral parts of a cult product are created rather speaks of their decorative role. But on the other hand, looking at the photo of Mademoiselle herself and her models, the pockets quite cope with their original task. They, like other details of the jacket, are duplicated with silk organza and lined. They are then sewn onto the jacket by hand.
Textile
“Chanel” - there is so much in this word... For absolutely all sewing needlewomen it sounds like music and evokes only one, but very persistent association - the iconic tweed jacket of the great and inimitable Coco Chanel.
Tweed comes from Scotland. Clothes were made from it not only for royalty; even literary heroes preferred tweed for their costumes, for example, the inimitable detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Doctor Watson. Tweed suits were an integral part of the English style. This noble woolen fabric was considered exclusively masculine. And only thanks to Chanel in 1920, when she first brought tweeds from Scotland, this fabric forever lost its original status. But this choice was not accidental; her vibrant romances with English men, their manners, style, clothes and fabrics from which she was made, inspired Coco. So we can say that this acquaintance was obvious. And the great mademoiselle knew in advance what to sew from tweed.
Tweeds, in which many threads are intertwined, differing not only in color, but also in composition and texture, are still purchased by the fashion house from the Linton Tweeds textile factory. But the most unique pieces are created by hand in the famous Mason Lesage atelier in Paris.
Of course, such couture fabrics cannot be found on sale; they are exclusive, sometimes existing only in a single copy. But it is, of course, possible to fulfill your dream and sew a jacket in the Chanel style using traditional mademoiselle technology. The textile industry captures the slightest desires and mood of the sewing world, and creates all kinds of fabrics in the Chanel style - tweeds, textured knitwear, bouclé, cotton and linen matting, woolen and mixed fabrics of different textures.
Text: Yulia Dekanova
How much do we know about the legendary Coco Chanel, what associations arise when mentioning her unforgettable name in the global fashion and style industry? Chanel No. 5 perfume is the first thing that comes to mind, a little black dress and, of course, the famous Chanel-style jacket. The moment of the emergence of a knitted jacket in the Chanel style is closely intertwined with the romantic relationship between Mademoiselle Chanel and her lover Hugh Richard Arthur, Duke of Westminster, because the material for sewing the jacket was made in factories owned by Duke Vendor of Westminster.
The photo shows that sometime back in 1936, the world first saw a suit from Coco Chanel made of woolen elastic fabric, soft to the touch with a slight pile and a diagonal weave, the name of which is “tweed”. The advantage of this fabric was its inexpensive cost and practicality. For a long time, tweed was considered an exclusively “male” fabric and was used to create men’s suits, but, embodied in Coco Chanel’s clothing collection, this axiom refuted itself. The Chanel suit perfectly combined a long tweed jacket in the style of Coco Chanel and an elegant, sophisticated skirt. However, two years later, the connoisseur of simplicity, comfort, discreet cut and clear, simple lines had to shorten the tweed jacket, making it more fitted with clearer shoulders.
It is not surprising that the tweed jacket has become the embodiment of femininity, refined taste and respectability. The unsurpassed Coco Chanel managed to make tweed popular. The fabric, unprepossessing and rough at first glance, has acquired the contours of primordially feminine classics and style, aristocratic taste on a global scale. The first ladies of the whole world preferred a tweed suit from Chanel, such ladies as Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and many other famous fashion connoisseurs.
More than half a century later, the Chanel fashion house continues to release fashionable clothing collections, but not one of them is without a classic tweed jacket, and the tweed fabric also remains unchanged. The chief designer and creative director of the Chanel fashion house, Karl Otto Lagerfeld, constantly experiments with color, shape, and cut of a suit and interprets it into shorter or longer versions, adding exquisite details and decor. But a tweed suit does not lose its classicism, convenience and simplicity. These are the “three pillars” that were laid down by the founder of the style, Mademoiselle Coco Chanel, at the beginning of the 20th century.
What to wear with a tweed jacket? Let us emphasize that a tweed jacket is quite dense and a little massive; it can add weight to even the thinnest wearer. Therefore, it should be worn with light blouses, shirts and dresses of light fabrics - black and white, beige, light gray. Also, a tweed jacket goes harmoniously with jeans, a short skirt, shorts, loose T-shirts with provocative slogans and unusual prints. Despite the fact that a tweed jacket is universal, remember that the classic nature of such a jacket is not compatible with elements of a sporty style, so you should not wear it with sneakers and sneakers.
The Chanel Cococ style jacket is ideal for a casual style, paired with skinny jeans, dresses and boots. At the same time, the jacket itself should be chosen in neutral colors - black, brown, white, beige, gray. If long jackets look better paired with jeans, then it is better to choose shortened models for skirts and dresses of different lengths. It is necessary to take into account an important property of tweed material - heat retention. So this jacket can easily replace your outerwear in the cold season. Also, tweed products should be considered as a coat, trench coat or jacket.
True jackets from Chanel are a legendary item and a standard of classics, which involves the use of high-quality raw materials for tailoring, an impeccable fit and, of course, an appropriate price. Unfortunately, many of us, even the most devoted fashionistas, cannot afford such luxury in the form of an original. But don't be discouraged! You should look at worthy analogues that can be decorated with an excellent accessory - a branded brooch in the shape of the Chanel company logo. The main thing is that you feel comfortable and relaxed, as Gabrielle Chanel herself wanted every woman to be!
A truly amazing creation story, however, the Great Mademoiselle never had it any other way.
Another legendary thing that she designed Coco Chanel
- This is a tweed jacket.
The great designer often repeated that in search of ideas for a new outfit, she was not averse to looking into the wardrobe of her lovers. This story is just about a tweed jacket.
Englishman Arthur Capel
nicknamed Boy "infected" Chanel
with its classic British style, and it was thanks to him that the prototype of the future jacket appeared - a jersey suit. But that was only the beginning. Another lover of the Great Mademoiselle, Duke of Westminster
, really loved tweed suits. This fabric began to be produced in Britain at the end of the 19th century, but it was used only for men's products. Chanel
, a well-known lover of turning men's things into women's ones, this did not stop her.
The tweed jacket first appeared at the designer's show in 1954, when Coco
it was already seventy years old. The unusual new product was a success. The secret of popularity was that Chanel
created a simple, strict, but at the same time elegant model that could easily emphasize the status of its owner. Abandoning the kitsch images of the "New Look" Christian Dior
, which reigned everywhere in Paris, Chanel
I removed the collar from the tweed jacket and made it short, decorating it only with gold buttons and matching braid on the sides. Going against the rigor of the English style, the designer acquired such fans of the tweed jacket as Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Margaret Thatcher, Romy Schneider.
Coco Chanel and Romy Schneider
Jacqueline Kennedy
It's hard to argue with the fact that a tweed jacket is an all-time legendary item. This is exactly what inspired the creative director Chanel Karl Lagerfeld and former French editor Vogue Carine Roitfeld . Together they created a series of photographs called "The little black jacket: a Chanel classic revived by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld". 113 celebrities took part in the project, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Dakota Fanning, Vanessa Paradis, Diane Kruger, Natalia Vodianova, Milla Jovovich and many others. Together they brought to life the idea that a tweed jacket would look great in completely different combinations. In 2012, the exhibition was successfully held in many cities around the world, and in November it was presented in Moscow.
Milla Jovovich
Kirsten Dunst
Diane Kruger
Tilda Swinton
Interesting:
A gold chain is always sewn on the reverse side along the edge of a tweed jacket. This is done so that the soft material does not lose its shape.
The composition of the product has remained the same for decades - it is treated tweed and a silk lining inside. And the three-quarter sleeve is made so that you can wear bracelets - Chanel I thought the wrists were very aesthetic.
Tweed jackets are worn not only by first ladies and royalty - this truly legendary item is enjoyed by celebrities of different ages and fields of activity:
Ann Hataway
Miranda Kerr
Rose Hannington-Wylie
Gwyneth Paltrow
Rachel Zoe
Elizabeth Olsen
Lady Gaga
Beyoncé
Anna Wintour
Penelope Cruz
Mila Kunis
Hailee Steinfeld
Vanessa Paradis
Whitney Port
A tweed jacket is a stylish alternative to a formal jacket, an excellent top for a light dress, and even looks good with a T-shirt and jeans. Seems, Coco Chanel I always knew that this thing would “create” any outfit.
A Chanel jacket is the dream object of many sewing needlewomen. Of course, it is extremely exciting to plunge into the world of couture sewing technology with an abundance of fine handwork... and then enjoy the amazing plasticity of bouclé duplicated with silk organza.
Eternal classics: patterns for jackets in the Chanel style
But it happens that after sewing a jacket, disappointment sets in - the pleasure of sewing is received, the jacket is there, but where to wear it and, most importantly, with what, is not clear.
Firstly, you need to wisely approach the choice of pattern and finishing of the finished jacket. What is considered “classic”, in the modern sense, is no longer classic at all, but retro.
And secondly, remove the jacket from the pedestal. At the end of the day, as iconic as it is, it's just a jacket.
How to weave braid in the Chanel style: two simple ways
But features in the form of braid, relief texture and a touch of some status, which gives age if incorrectly assembled, make it difficult to select companions for this jacket. Therefore, we extinguish the excessive luxury and elegance of the iconic model with ordinary things, combining the relief texture with a smoother one.
Chanel style jacket with jeans
Wear a simple top or T-shirt under the jacket. Shoes can be anything from sneakers to stilettos; after all, you have already reduced the degree of pretentiousness with jeans.
With overalls
What associations arise with it? Uniforms, work clothes? Just what you need! Just, mind you, let the overalls be of a laconic cut with a minimum
With a midi skirt
Pleated, mesh, eco-suede, any option is good! A simple cut top or a thin pullover will help you!
Mini format!
Let's dilute the status of the jacket with the boldness of its length! Both an A-line skirt and a dress will be good. Let's support the mood with comfortable shoes without heels!
Those with slender legs will choose a small A-line skirt made of shiny snakeskin material...
A variation of the mini can be shorts! Moreover, both rebellious options in the form of shortened leather shorts and calmer Bermuda shorts from the same boucle would be good.
With a dress
A laconic dress made of textured knitwear (photo 6) will support the roughness of the bouclé, but its ease will dilute the severity of the jacket. We put on shoes in a sporty style - sneakers, slip-ons - and the current look in the sport-chic style is ready!
With fashionable culottes
Culottes have long become part of the modern base and mix perfectly with a Chanel jacket. Depending on the material of the culotte and accessories, the look can be either casual or festive.
Material prepared by Yulia Dekanova
