The Little Black Jacket

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The Little Black Jacket

In 2012, Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld wrote The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited. It is mostly a book of celebrities wearing Lagerfeld’s reinterpretation of the iconic Chanel jacket, and showcases the same black jacket worn in 120 different ways. The photographs are inspiring, and it is what I most admire about Lagerfeld’s work at Chanel.

Karl Lagerfeld took the helm of Chanel in 1983 and remained the creative director there until his death in 2019. The fashion industry had shifted to mostly ready to wear after the 1960’s and haute couture was almost a dying art. However, Lagerfeld kept the traditions of couture alive by making it relevant and modern. He ensured the survival of the fashion house by not ignoring the business side of things. By making the luxury label more accessible to people with its ready-to-wear line, perfume, and accessories, haute couture was able to continue. And today, it is still the driving force behind the business even if it isn’t the most profitable side of it.

I decided to try to make a little black jacket (LBJ) following some of the same couture practices used at Chanel. One of the most knowledgeable teachers of couture construction is Susan Khalje. Susan teaches classes on the iconic French jacket and has a video on the subject as well. I highly recommend Susan’s classes if you have the opportunity to take one, and the video is the most comprehensive tutorial available. You also get the French jacket pattern, which has a very couture three-piece sleeve, when you purchase the video. Be sure to check it out if you decide to make a French jacket.

It looks like a simple jacket, but the time I spent on this jacket is the longest I have ever spent on constructing any garment. There are hours upon hours of preparation and hand sewing in this jacket. At times, I enjoyed the process, at other times, I prayed for the end. Well, it finally came over a year later.

There are so many elements that must be sewn by hand in order to maintain the integrity and suppleness of the jacket. In this jacket the lining is quilted to the bouclé fabric, another signature mark of a Chanel couture jacket (but not highlighted in the above video). Quilting the silk charmeuse lining to the bouclé fabric, is what makes the jacket so lofty and comfortable. It has more of a sweater feel than a tailored jacket. Comfort was Coco Chanel’s objective when she first designed this iconic jacket in 1954.

Since the lining gets quilted to the jacket, you have to sew/close all the seams of the lining by hand. The jacket sleeves are also set-in entirely by hand. Another unique feature of the Chanel jacket is the chain at the hem, and yes, it is sewn by hand too.

The quintessential element of a couture jacket is the perfect fit. What you don’t see is all the time spent sewing and fitting muslin toiles to obtain this. Once the toile fits, it is then taken apart and used as a pattern to cut the jacket fabric and lining. Cutting the pieces for the garment and preparing them for construction is another tedious aspect of couture. It has to be done carefully so that patterns/motifs match exactly at the seams and the grain of the fabric hangs properly.

I am really happy with the fit, comfort and look of this LBJ. It feels amazing and is such an understated luxury. Even though it was a lot of work, I am thankful I had the chance to learn and practice the same haute couture skills that have been carried forward for centuries. Here’s to Coco and Karl (and now Virginie) – may your couture legacy continue!