The timeless appeal of tweed jacket designed by Coco Chanel is renewed season following season, to the point of becoming a wardrobe classic feminine. Here we tell you the story of a garment with a unique design, immune to the flow of time and imperturbable to the frenzy of fleeting trends: because the icons are recognizable to the naked eye, thus identifying an object with its creator. Think of Bialetti’s Moka, Frank Gehry’s corrugated steel, and even the iPhone you’re probably reading this article regarding: a feat that everyone aspires to and few achieve, thus bestowing immortality on the person who did it. conceived, designed and then created. This is also the case for tweed jacket by Coco Chanel.
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Chanel in 1960
The style revolution of the tweed jacket
Let’s start with a fact, Mademoiselle was a practical woman who never skimped on refinement: she showed the society of the time that you might be sexy in black, wear trousers elegantly (only men were allowed at that time) and have the hands free (creating the shoulder bag, the quilted classic that we all wish we had in our closets). She is a woman who put women and not male desire at the center of her fashion. She is a woman who starred in a process of emancipation through the use of aesthetics and the clothes she wore. Between them, the revolutionary tweed jacket.
Coco Chanel, with her creations, wanted to guarantee ease and charm: she immediately understood that menswear had exactly this goal and became her main source of inspiration. We all know her ‘mania’ for borrowing the clothes of her lover, the Duke of Westminster, and so she sniffed out the potential of a fabric used only by men (until then): el tweed. The suits date back to 1925. Years of experimenting to perfect tweed followed, using blended yarns such as silk and wool to create a refined fabric with support from French and Scottish companies. However, as we have already mentioned, it was not only the fabric that made the difference, but the design that made the jacket was unique and timeless.
Chanel’s jacket was inspired by an Austrian male model. Coco Chanel invented a new type of jacket that didn’t exist yet, with a special shape, and no one can take credit more than her.
How to recognize the iconic Coco Chanel jacket?
Having chosen the masculine fabric, Coco Chanel had to get her wits going to provide comfort to those who chose its well-structured jacket, inside and out. The name -square jacket- is due to its geometric design: straight lines, almost square and without darts, with a single seam in the central part of the back. The sleeves are sewn at the top of the shoulder, to fit the square shoulders and ensure greater comfort of movement. The last detail is the 4 pockets, a fundamental element in Mademoiselle’s design that we also find in their skirts and pants (also a revolutionary creation given that only men -at that time- might hide their hands).
Finally, the decorative elements that define the aesthetic of the Chanel jacket: most of the contrasting hems (but not always), the jewel buttons (which use the iconography of the fashion house, such as the lion’s head, the camellia or ‘CC’ logo) and chain detail along the hem to give each garment a perfect drape. A true work of art to wear and that you can now recognize thanks to all these elements.
Evolution, from Karl Lagerfeld to Virginie Viard
It has never been completely modified, but has been adapted to modern times. Karl Lagerfeld took Coco’s stylistic legacy and turned it into a cult following for generations to come. He brought it into the 21st century with new volumes and innovative fabrics, introducing leather, lurex, sequins, denim and even terry cloth in its updated versions. Kaiser’s limitless imagination has turned her into a generational object of desire.
Today, the creative director, Virginie Viard, update the chapters of this long story with petite models, mandarin collars or ruffled hems, similar to a mini dress.
© Photo: Courtesy
Chanel 2020.
© Photo: Courtesy
Chanel 2021.
How to wear the tweed jacket according to the Street Style fashion
Combining this garment that never goes out of style is easy, thanks to its continuous interpretations and its innate flexibility when it comes to being worn: a jacket with timeless charm that will give you a Parisian allure even if you’re wearing jeans or leggings. A certainty of women’s clothing that we invite you to experiment with these outfits.
Article originally published by Vogue Italia. Adapted by Monica Silveti
