Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld blue boiled wool fitted jacket, fw 1999
View Similar Items
Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld blue boiled wool fitted jacket, fw 1999
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 (EU)
- Place of Origin:France
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140211973262
Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
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.” From his first collection at Chanel — after joining the brand in the early 1980s — he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel handbags, evening dresses, coats, jewelry and other clothing and accessories riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment.
During his five-decade career as a designer 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 1984 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday. Lagerfeld’s collections for the brand 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. And 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.
Find vintage Karl Lagerfeld Chanel day dresses, jackets, shoes and more on 1stDibs.
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, she 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 introduced in 1955 with its gold-chain shoulder strap that freed up a woman’s hands. Chanel's 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.
- Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière metallic silk pleated jacket, ss 2009By Balenciaga, Nicholas GhesquiereLocated in London, GB▪ Important Balenciaga metallic silk pleated jacket ▪ Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière ▪ Limited Edition ▪ Finley pleated copper silk with metal films applied on top ▪ Rounded should...Category
Early 2000s French Jackets
- Comme des Garcons khaki green cotton waistcoat with large braids, S / S 2003By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GB- Raw frayed edges throughout - Two large cotton and satin ribbon braids, used as a closure or decorative feature Spring-Summer 2003Category
Early 2000s Japanese Vests
- Dolce & Gabbana pink floral silk jacket and skirt ensemble, c. 1990sBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana hot pink silk ensemble with vibrant floral print throughout. Knee length jacket with leopard silk lining. Above the knee length pencil skirt. c. 1990sCategory
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Christian Dior by John Galliano black leather and fur gillet, fw 2003By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior gillet ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Black lambskin leather and rabbit fur ▪ Bondage straps with metal grommets and buckles ▪ FR 36 - UK 8 - US 4 ▪ Fall-Winter 20...Category
Early 2000s French Jackets
- Comme des Garcons Homme navy cotton bomber jacket with quilted sleeves, c. 1989By Comme des GarçonsLocated in London, GBPresenting a classic Comme des Garcons Homme navy cotton bomber jacket with black quilted nylon sleeves. This versatile piece offers two wearing options: it can be detached from the ...Category
1980s Japanese Jackets
- Tom Ford for Gucci black leather fitted jacket with gold hardware, S/S 1999By Gucci, Tom FordLocated in London, GBSpring-Summer 1999Category
1990s Italian Jackets
- ALEXANDER McQUEEN F/W 2005 "The Man Who Knew Too Much" 4pc Jacket Skirt Suit SetBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Thiensville, WIALEXANDER McQUEEN F/W 2005 "The Man Who Knew Too Much" Light Blue Embellished 4 pc Jacket / Skirt / Camisole / Belt Set Brand / Manufacturer...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirt Suits
- Calvin Klein Collection 1990s Size 6 8 Seersucker Utility Vintage 90s Vest ShirtBy Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein CollectionLocated in San Diego, CAClassic CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION for BERGDORF GOODMAN Size 8 seersucker utility vest top ! Features a thin seersucker print in blue and white. Hidden buttons up the front. Cargo style...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
$521 Sale Price25% Off - Vintage Jean Muir Turquoise Silk JacketBy Jean MuirLocated in London, GBA stunning jacket by British designer Jean Muir .In an stunning turquoise colour with dark blue lining, this jacket will brighten up any outfit. The jacket has a round collar, with a...Category
1990s British Jackets
- A Jacques Heim In Wool And Fur Couture Coat - France Circa 1960By Jacques HeimLocated in Toulon, FRCirca 1955/1960 France Elegant Haute Couture skater coat by Jacques Heim dating from the early 1960s. Coat in wool mottled blue-king chevron effect. Collar, bottom of coat and flap...Category
1950s French Coats
- 1960S Blue Cotton Blend Chambray Studded & Floral Embelished Cropped JacketLocated in New York, NY1960S Blue Cotton Blend Chambray Studded & Floral Embelished Cropped JacketCategory
1960s Blazers
- ALEXANDER WANG blue & black DENIM PRINT LEATHER BIKER Jacket 2 XXSBy Alexander WangLocated in Zürich, CHauthentic Alexander Wang washed out biker jacket in indigo and black lambskin with a notch collar, epaulettes, one zipper chest pocket and two front slit pockets. Closes on the front...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jackets
$632 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How the Chanel Jacket Forever Changed What Women Wear
The classic tweed garment has been a wardrobe staple of chic women around the world since the 1950s.
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.