Chanel Black Mesh Top
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 22.45 in (57 cm)Marked Size: 38 (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 16.15 in (41 cm)
- Style:Circa 2018 (Of the Period)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Chanel Sequined Wool Top, Spring 2006By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChanel - (Made in France) Sequined wool top. Size 38FR. Spring-Summer 2006 collection. Additional information: Dimensions: Shoulder width: 40 cm Chest: 38 cm Sleeve length: 17 cm...Category
Early 2000s French Blouses and Tops
- Christian Dior Black Mesh TopBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRDior - Black mesh top. No size indicated, it fits a 40FR. Additional information: Condition: Very good condition Dimensions: Shoulder width: 42 cm - Chest: 49 cm - Sleeve length: 31...Category
Early 2000s Blouses and Tops
- Hermès Silk and Cashmere Polo ShirtBy HermèsLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRHermès - (Made in Italy) Red silk, cotton and cashmere polo shirt, printed with a gold and yellow webbing pattern. Composition label and size indicated S. Additional information: Di...Category
1980s Italian Shirts
- Christian Dior White Top with StripesBy John Galliano for Christian Dior, Christian DiorLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRDior - (Made in France) White top with stripes. Size M. Additional information: Dimensions: Shoulder width: 43 cm Chest: 42 cm Length: 49 cm Condition: Very good condition Sel...Category
Early 2000s French Blouses and Tops
- Leonard Tunic in JerseyBy LeonardLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRLeonard -(Made in Italy) Tunic in jersey, size 40. The jersey is slightly damaged. Additional information: Dimensions: Shoulder width: 43 cm Chest: 46 cm Sleeve length: 55 cm L...Category
1980s Italian Tunics
- Yves Saint Laurent Multicolored Silk ShirtBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRYves Saint Laurent -(Made in France) Multicolored silk shirt. Marked size 40FR, it fits a 38FR. Additional information: Dimensions: Shoulder width: 45 cm Chest: 59 cm Sleeve lengt...Category
1970s French Shirts
- CELINE BY HEDI SLIMANE 70's Inspired Monochrome ShirtBy CelineLocated in Berlin, BECeline by Heldi Slimane monochrome shirt. This 70s inspired shirt is made from a soft viscose and features a relaxed fit, black and white triangle pattern, a collared neckline, long cuffed sleeves and a front button closure. So typically Hedi Slimane in style - looks amazing styled under a clack suit or easily styled with black jeans and a leather jacket. Made in Italy Fabric: Viscose Size 38 Please refer to measurements below (measured flat and across) Shoulders 49.5cm Bust 57cm Waist 53cm This Celine monochrome...Category
2010s Italian Collars
- Jean Paul Gaultier BlouseBy Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil, Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Sharon, CTA Fuzzi series Air Brush style patterned image with abstract blue flowers on a white sheer base, combined with a Celtic decorative motif. No closures. 100% nylon.Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Chloe Blouse Military InspiredBy Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe, ChloéLocated in Sharon, CTRed, blue and grey Russian Suprematist inspired Military top.Category
1980s French Smocks
- DOLCE & GABBANA - Silk Tank Top with Tiger Animal Print Size 4US 36EUBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANA, Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Cuggiono, MIThe iconic tiger print by Dolce & Gabbana is the main theme of this tank top, which features a soft silk fabric and ruffled neckline. This summer top is super comfortable and fresh a...Category
2010s Hungarian Tank Tops
- FENDI - 90s White Cotton T-Shirt with Embroidered Shoulders | Size 4US 36EUBy FendiLocated in Cuggiono, MIHere's a Genuine Fendi White Top from the early years 2000, designed by Carla Fendi. It has a mock neckline and shoulder pads 1.5 cm high. The shoulders are completely covered by a refined arabesque pattern made of beads. About the brand - An Italian family business that began in 1918 with a fur and leather shop, Fendi officially became a fashion house in 1954 under the direction of Adele Casagrande Fendi. She worked closely with manufacturers and gained notoriety for using unusual and forgotten pelts. She also introduced color to fur. In the mid 1960s Fendi hired designer...Category
1990s Italian T-Shirts
- BYBLOS – Y2k Vintage Beige Sleeveless Blouse with Volants - Unique PrototypeBy Giorgio Facchini, ByblosLocated in Cuggiono, MIMade in Italy during the early 2000s, this is a prototype for the yearly Spring/Summer Byblos collection, thus manufactured by the brand seamstresses without the industrial tags. (It...Category
Early 2000s Italian Tank Tops
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.