The Chanel Suit

My previous post, Holy Chanel!, covered the Chanel RTW show at Paris Fashion Week.  I noted the classic tweed suit, a staple of the brand reinvented year after year since it's birth, over 90 years ago!

 Coco Chanel in her suit and amongst her suits, circa 1960.

What defines the iconic suit?

...the classic Chanel  suit has "boxy" lines.  The typical suit also has braided trim and a  slim skirt lined with a gold link chain. The buttons either resemble  coins or are gold with the double "cc" logo displayed amid them. There  is always a ribbon sewed in the waist of the skirt to prevent the blouse  from slipping and the zipper is placed on the side of the skirt to  enable comfort. In a sense,  wearing a Chanel suit is like wearing a customized ornate costume, made  to fit so that when the wearer moves, the suit still maintains perfect  grace and elegance*

Lagerfeld's adaption for Spring 2011:

I love that the look was even interpreted for the 1970's inspired Resort Collection, shown in St. Tropez:

the suit goes to the beach! the suit goes with a bikini!

For more on the suit check out this great timeline at Time magazine.

Craazy Coco! in the 60's a thousand years old still doing her thing

Even after being modernized year after year, the look has remained true 

to it's original concept even after Chanels death and the transition to Karl Lagerfeld as head designer and creative director.  For forty years Lagerfeld has honored design and kept it relevant season after season.  I find this incredibly impressive and important.

Thanks for your readership, Dolls! xo Caitlin

*quote via coololdstuff.com

old school pics via the vintage link and adriana sassoon, Spring 2011 images via Style.com

Holy Chanel!

From the EPIC Chanel RTW show last week in Paris:

oh my...

Though for the most part the looks from this RTW collection are farrrrr from ready-to-wear (in my opinion) the overall show was nothing short of stunning.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to experience it in person... I know I've said it before but I honestly believe I would have cried! I imagine that seeing something like that pink floof above walking down the runway would be, literally, breathtaking.

...and I die!

Kraaazy Karl!

What an amazing venue.

On the first day of French class, back in middle school, we all got to choose French names and I chose "Chantal", for no other reason than it resembled "Chanel".  At this point I was not remotely familiar with anything the fashion house actually produced, but I knew it was something special, special enough to name oneself after!

(side note: my parents are regular working class people who like to hike/don't shop at Bloomingdales etc., and are still baffled how they ended up with the sort of child who at ten begged for a subscription to W magazine... quizzicle)

Some of my preferred looks from the collection... which to be honest I did not love:

The majority of the pieces present a sort of ladylike-victorian-gothic look. I love the constant reinvention of the classic Chanel tweed suit and the sparkling black halters amongst the evening wear.  There was also lots of feathery fringe, dark dark eye make-up, and what I consider HIDEOUS flat across platform sandals (those are hideous right? does anyone disagree?).

Hope you enjoyed the rundown!  I don't know if anyone cares but I am sorry for being so absent as of late... it feels really good to get back the the bloggy!

Love you dolls, xo Caitlin