In this most recent short he employs Keira Knightley to play a young Coco Chanel during the time of the opening of her first shop in Deauville, circa 1913. The 18 minute period film is filled with cameos from a large number of internationally known stars such as Lindsey Wixson, Stella Tennant, Tallulah Harlech and Baptiste Giabiconi and it is reported that the actors were given their lines mere moments before shooting began in order to achieve a ‘natural effect with the dialogue’. You see Chanel meet the fashion-forward ladies of the city and watch as she gathers the inspiration for the designs that would later become iconic for her brand. As expected the costumes are all extraordinary and all-around the film possesses an intoxicatingly dreamlike quality.

Image: Screenshot

Image: Screenshot

Image: Chanel News

Images: Chanel News

Words: Emma Remington

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The book and multiple-city exhibition is set to display the gender-ambiguous nature of the classic Chanel jacket. 113 varied celebrities demonstrate the versatility of the garment, styled according to specific themes. Shooting simplistic portrait-styled shots in a basic studio setting, Lagerfeld ensures that the tweed blazer is at the centre of attention. The duo succeeds in portraying the jackets adaptive nature to all forms and lifestyles.

The Chanel jacket symbolises a timelessly fashionable form of nonchalant feminine elegance: it belongs to every era. (Karl Lagerlfeld)

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Previously donned by famous style icons like Jackie O, the signature piece is reinvented with the help of some famous faces ranging from young up-and-comers to veteran fashion mavericks. Among the photographed are Elizabeth Olsen, Dakota and Elle fanning, Georgia-May Jagger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tilda Swinton, Claudia Schiffer, even Yoko Ono and ever-chic Sarah Jessica Parker, to name a few. Infamous rapper and designer, Kanye West, poses casually in the androgynous jacket while arguably fashions most influential figure, Anna Wintour, is photographed from behind, characterised by her legendary bob cut.  Connoisseur of street couture – Theophilus London – also contributes his face to the project, bringing a lil’ ‘swag’ to the classic piece while Monacan princess Charlotte Casiraghi lends an air of royalty.

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The exhibition started its leg in Tokyo, followed by New York’s Soho district in early June and currently running in Taipei. Set to move to a number of locations, the final showcase will surely go out in the same trend-setting fashion as its launch. Between Lagerfeld’s photographic eye and Roitfeld’s styling finesse, the sophistication-meets-functionality of the jacket partnered with cool celebrities re-ignites the classic in a contemporary setting, proving that the 89-year-old’s grasp on fashion is as tight as his infamous ponytail. From the LBD and now LBJ, Chanel keeps proving itself as a necessary staple in the cupboards of all fashion lovers, young and old. The Little Black Jacket is a black and white masterpiece, testament to the legacy of Coco Chanel’s timeless style. I wait patiently for Lagerfeld’s next crack at reinventing the wheel.

Visit thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com

words: Naledi Radebe

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