Chanel red velvet Napoleon style riding jacket, c. 1993
View Similar Items
Chanel red velvet Napoleon style riding jacket, c. 1993
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14021305783
Karl Lagerfeld
More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” During his five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times.
An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain. He went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, Lagerfeld lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word.
During the late ’60s and ’70s, he refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum. Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1983 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday.
From Lagerfeld's first Chanel collection, he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. He riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. Despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Lagerfeld’s collections for Chanel, in particular, displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), Lagerfeld used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew.
Browse a collection of sophisticated designs by Karl Lagerfeld on 1stDibs, including handbags and evening gowns for Chanel, vintage cocktail dresses for Chloé and more.
Chanel
In the years following the opening of her modest millinery shop, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel became a pivotal designer of both fashionable casual wear and Paris haute couture as well as an icon and arbiter of 20th-century style with her bob haircut and pearls. Today vintage Chanel handbags, jackets and evening dresses are among the most sought-after clothing and accessories for fashion lovers all over the world.
The first Chanel shop was established in 1910 in Paris on rue Cambon by the young milliner Gabrielle Chanel (1883–1971), who had picked up the nickname “Coco” while working as a club singer. The boutique drew the attention of the Parisian fashion elite who popularized her wide-brimmed Chanel Modes hats. Soon she added a sportswear store in the Normandy resort town of Deauville, where Coco set the tone for her defining sense of style — traditionally masculine garments reimagined for feminine shapes, made from simple jersey fabric.
Effortless and elegant, Chanel's designs promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by complicated layers of fabric and cumbersome corsets. She followed this success with a couture house, opened in 1915 in Biarritz.
But Chanel was not born into a life of glamour. Following the death of her mother, her father left her in an orphanage where she lived until the age of 18. It was there that she learned to sew as well as appreciate the classic pairing of black and white as worn by the nuns.
In 1926, Chanel introduced her first little black dress, reclaiming a color that had once been reserved for mourning and working-class women. That same decade, she debuted her perfume, Chanel No. 5, as well as the Chanel suit with a fitted skirt, inspired by the boxy lines of men’s clothing and employing a sporty tweed.
Chanel closed her fashion operations during World War II, then returned to the industry in 1954 to design for the functional needs of modern women.
Structure and wearability endured in all of Chanel’s clothing and accessories, like the quilted leather 2.55 handbag — a 1955 update of a 1920s-era design — with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. Her collarless jacket reacted against the constricting styles of Christian Dior's New Look, replacing them with a design that was timeless, an instant classic. The 1957 two-tone slingback pumps had a practical heel height while offering a bold statement in the black tip of the shoes.
After Coco Chanel died in 1971, the brand underwent several changes in leadership, including fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who took over as artistic director in 1983. Over the years, the company has continued to innovate, such as expanding into ready-to-wear fashion in 1978 and, in 2002, establishing a subsidiary company — Paraffection — dedicated to preserving the heritage skills of fashion artisan workshops. The House of Chanel still operates its flagship on rue Cambon in Paris, where it all began.
Browse vintage Chanel bags, evening dresses, shoes, jewelry and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Vivienne Westwood red wool jacket with black velvet collar, AW 1990By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool jacket with black velvet collar, - large orb buttons - black velvet pocket flaps Autumn-Winter 1990Category
1990s British Jackets
- Dolce & Gabbana pink and black tie-dyed fur jacket, fw 1999By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana pink and black tie-dyed jacket ▪ Sheared rabbit fur ▪ Wide long sleeves ▪ Snap button closures ▪ Size Small ▪ Fall-Winter 1999Category
1990s Italian Jackets
- Atelier Versace transparent plastic and red wool mini dress and jacket, fw 1995By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBAtelier Versace; Red wool strapless bustier mini dress with transparent plastic trim and built in corset. Sold with a matching jacket with plastic yoke and silver zip fastenings. A...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Elizabeth Wessel red velvet and leather bomber jacket, c. 1980-1989By Elizabeth WesselLocated in London, GBc. 1980-1989Category
1980s French Jackets
- Comme des Garcons leopard print felt 2D coat, fw 2012By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GBComme des Garçons leopard print felt 2D coat with angular hips and ties to fasten from inside Fall-Winter 2012Category
2010s Japanese Jackets
- Gianni Versace cheetah print faux fur jacket and dress ensemble, c. 1990sBy Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBA Gianni Versace jacket and dress ensemble from the 1990s made for the 'Versus' line. The swing jacket is double breasted and fastens with th...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Red Satin Double-Breasted Jacket, A/W 2009.By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYYves Saint Laurent Red Satin Double-Breasted Jacket, A/W 2009. Red quilted satin double-breasted jacket with contrasting satin collar and lapel. Jacket features panelling detailing ...Category
Early 2000s French Double-Breasted Jackets
- Henri Bendel "Limited Editions" French Red Wool Jacket with BeltBy Henri BendelLocated in Sharon, CTA Henri Bendel 'Limited Edition' classic red wool jacket buttons and belt in front. No sizing label, approximately EU 40-42Category
1940s French Jackets
- Yves Saint Laurent Variation Spring Summer 1993By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Palm Beach, FLYves Saint Laurent Variation vintage jacket red golden blade jacket from Summer 1993. Colarless fitted jacket closed at the tip with a la...Category
1990s French Jackets
- 1990s Vintage Escada by Margaretha Ley blazerBy Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990s Vintage Escada by Margaretha Ley blazer, in immaculate condition just got back from the dry cleaning and kept under plastic. Beau...Category
1990s German Blazers
- 1990's Vintage Escada by Margaretha Ley red BlazerBy Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in LAGNY-SUR-MARNE, FR1990's Vintage Escada by Margaretha Ley blazer jacket. In Perfect condition. Shoulder pads. 100% pure wool and cashmere. Long sleeves w...Category
1990s Blazers
- Moschino Couture Vintage Black and Red Women's Blazer Size 12By MoschinoLocated in Philadelphia, PAGORGEOUS Vintage Moschino black and red blazer in excellent condition. Red body with black velvet collar and buttons. Long sleeve style with 2 f...Category
1980s Italian Blazers
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Remembering Fashion Designer, Collector and Supreme Tastemaker Karl Lagerfeld
The creative force behind brands like Chanel, Fendi and Chloé was as exacting in his interiors as he was in his clothing designs.
From the Runway to Rihanna, These Chanel Pearl Sunglasses Are the Peak of ’90s Chic
This cheeky accessory is seriously fun.