By Maya Young - Age 12
Coco Chanel is a name people have come to know, and wear.
Her simplistic and sophisticated designs have cast a spell on us and changed
the world. One of her most iconic design is the Chanel jacket, an impeccably
tailored, collarless, tweed jacket. Little did Coco Chanel know that this would
be just one of her timeless trends that can be worn forever.
What indeed may you find in the Chanel jacket? Versatility.
The beauty of the style is how easily you can dress it up, and dress it down,
while still creating an effortless look. The jacket can make a woman look
refined, cultured, and yet mysterious as well. It can also transform into a
more soft and romantic style as well. However the jacket also brings a slouchy
suave appeal to it. Above all it can say “ I won’t bother you so don’t bother
me.”
What may seem like a regular
article of clothing for us, was a daringly different and unique for the time
period it was originally created. Society wasn’t quite used to women balancing the masculine and feminine
look, as the designer advocates the jacket as, “ a way of dressing that was
masculine in its unruffled dignity, while remaining true to its creator’s idea
of femininity.” In those days nobody would have thought that this sporty look
in women could ever be perceived as elegant. But this was all part of Coco’s
brilliance, this jacket became a powerhouse of modern fashion.
The jacket itself has a boxy shape,
cinched waist, silk lining, pockets, and a chain to weight it down. This isn’t
just a chic and stylish jacket, but a sequence of events, that requires
continuous fitting, to reveal a flawlessly tailored product. Coco Chanel
herself was a perfectionist, willing to rework fit, armholes, and even going as
far as putting chains on the hemlines of her jackets so that they would hang
correctly. Those making the jacket included only the finest materials, and the
craftsmanship that you can only find with the most skilled seamstresses.
The Chanel jacket will remain a forever classic. It’s as if
Coco Chanel wasn’t just designing for her time period, but as if she were
predicting into the future. Even after years of Karl Lagerfeld reinventing the
jacket, is it still a trendy look for our generation? Yes! If this can look
absolutely stunning on Joan Smalls by tieing the sleeves together to create a
bustier and skirt, then this is definitely a piece of clothing that every woman
should want in their closet.
note: This is first in a series of blog posts on the Chanel Jacket. We'll be making one as well and showing the progress along the way.....