Little Black Jacket Exhibition - London

Little Black Jacket Exhibition

-London-
12 October - 4 November 2012

By Karl Lagerfeld &Carine Roitfeld

Classic. Chic. Can only mean Chanel. 

The most stylish exhibition to hit the world this year has made its mark on London, this October at the Saatchi Gallery. The exhibition is set to hit over 10 capitals, from Tokyo to New York from London to Moscow. 

Based on the iconic jacket design that Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel introduced to the world of fashion over 50 years ago, and yet is still a major feature in all current Chanel collections. Karl Lagerfeld has continued the legacy of Coco Chanel's creation by keeping true to the jackets signature silhouette and cut. 

Chanel is a brand that has created its own language in fashion, with its unique codes and symbols of flare. Over the years it has paved its way into establishing its trademark stamp of style, from quilting, to the internationally recognized logo of interlocking C's and the stable garment to any collection the French fashion house creates, The Little Black Jacket.

The Little Black Jacket has graced the shoulders of many celebrities from fashion designers, musical sensations, actors, supermodels, film directors and fashion icons, all photographed by Karl Lagerfeld and styled by Carine Roitfeld. An overall of 150 Black and white images, each featuring a Little Black Jacket being worn in the persona of the individual that is being photographed. The breath taking imagery leads you into a world of Chanel, allowing you to appreciate the superior elegance of the Little Black Jacket, that has lived on for decades being admired by the men and women. The stars wear identical Chanel Jackets, a black, slightly boxy, collarless tweed, with a single row of silver buttons.

(Video: The making of a Little Black Jacket) 

The exhibition not only featured a star studded list of female women but also of influential men, which can come as a surprise as Chanel do not cater for menswear. Like many of Chanel's famous designs, the Little Black Jacket, originates from menswear being based on a groomsman's jacket. I believe that the mens participation in the project makes this exhibition a lot more unique and unexpected, to the audience. Just shows that such a mass amount of timeless elegance in one garment can even have men wanting to wear it. 

I truly enjoyed the unique and simply idea of the exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld kept the images focused on the individuals personality and how they would wear the Little Black Jacket, clear studio images. If your unable to make it to an exhibition in your city, then there's a whole website (www.thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com) dedicated to the exhibition, just log on and check out behind the scenes footage from many shoots.-★

Explore the London exhibition held at The Saatchi Gallery, in a short video I have put together.

All images taken by SKarman

Little Black Jacket: 12 October - 4 November 2012