Chanel's The Little Black Jacket Exhibition

The Little Black Jacket exhibition review by Anna Fearon

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

The Little Black Jacket Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery

Chanel's The Little Black Jacket exhibition, which recently exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, first and foremost showcases the Chanel black jacket, an iconic tweed jacket which has become a staple in fashion conscious women's wardrobes since the time of Coco Chanel. What woman hasn't dreamt of owning the statement black jacket?

Karl Lagerfeld photographed Chanel muses and celebrities for the exhibition, which he curated alongside Carine Roitfield. The photographic exhibition witnesses a coming together of numerous celebrities with the fashion house, to produce potent images, which clarify the resonance that the black jacket still has today. I think that the exhibition emphasises the iconic status of the jacket, which is worn by men and women of all different ages and nationalities.

The exhibition appeals to the young as well as the old. Portraits of young, fashionable figures such as Joan Smalls, Edie Campbell and Elle Fanning draw in a young audience, eager to see their idols looking fabulous in their black jackets.

An older audience is also reached out too, through portraits of nineties fashion icons Claudia Schiffer, Jane Birkin and Linda Evangelista which show that the black jacket is a coveted piece for an older generation as well as a younger one.

Two of my favourite portraits in the exhibition were the ones of Georgia May Jagger and Alexa Chung. Georgia May Jagger's portrait shows how versatile the black jacket is. It can be styled in numerous ways and in this case, the black jacket is an "accessory" to a sexed-up style, as Jagger wears her black jacket with nothing more than a black bra and sultry look.

Chung's portrait also shows how the black jacket can complete a young, casual look as she wears hers with denim shorts and a head scarf. In essence, this is a jacket that can be worn day or night, which the various photographs constantly remind us of.

I think that what is particularly exciting about the exhibition is that no one image is the same. The Chanel jackets are styled in different ways according to the personality wearing it. Freja Beha presents us with a Chanel nun, Elle Fanning, wears a chain of flowers in her hair, which embody an innocent, youthful vibe, whilst Lily Donaldson's portrait has a punkish look to it.

The way that the little black jacket is styled in so many different ways, is evidence of the versatility of Chanel's black jacket. This is an exhibition, which pays tribute to this, as well as the jacket’s international appeal and long standing status as an essential fashion item.