Chanel Red Silk Stitch Down Pleated Skirt
View Similar Items
Chanel Red Silk Stitch Down Pleated Skirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S-M (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:West Palm Beach, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: CS1stDibs: LU2844789223
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, Lagerfeld 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.
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 many of the rare Chanel bags much sought after today are objects of pure fantasy conjured up by the late couturier.
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, 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.
- Courreges Orange Wool A Line Skirt White Top Stitching 42By CourrègesLocated in West Palm Beach, FLCourreges orange wool A line skirt with white top stitching marked size 42 from the 1990s. Contoured, top stitched waist band waist with logo applique at the front. Back sides top st...Category
20th Century French A-Line Skirts
- Gloria Sachs black silk chiffon metallic gold coin dot pleated skirt 1990sBy Gloria SachsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGloria Sachs black silk chiffon gold coin dot pleated skirt 1990s...Stitch down pleated skirt has dime size gold metallic dots throughout...Pleats open below ...Category
1990s American Pleated Skirts
- Edwardian Ecru Satin Stitch Embroidered Tulle Skirt 1900sLocated in West Palm Beach, FLEdwardian ecru, satin stitch embroidered tulle skirt, early 1900s. Sheer tulle has a lace and ribbon waist band, gathered skirt has heavy satin stitch embroidered flowers. There is ...Category
Early 1900s American Ruffled Skirts
- Lanvin Hiver 2006 Black Silk Skirt with Side Button Closure.By Lanvin ParisLocated in West Palm Beach, FLLanvin black silk chiffon skirt has a velvet waist band and padded silk satin hem band, the chiffon of the skirt is draped vertically over a silk knit lining. This unique skirt close...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Pleated Skirts
- Gloria Sachs Cream & Black Horizontal Stripe Silk Jacquard Pleated Skirt 1980sBy Gloria SachsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGloria Sachs cream & black horizontal stripe silk jacquard, with mini dots, long stitch down pleated skirt from the 1980s. Band waist skirt has stitch down pleats, unlined. Closes at...Category
1980s American Pleated Skirts
- Chanel Charcoal Wool Kick Pleat Front Pocket Pencil Skirt VintageBy Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in West Palm Beach, FLChanel charcoal wool kick pleat front, curved hip front pocket, pencil skirt. 1990s dark charcoal wool skirt has a narrow band waist, the skirt closes at the side with a bar hook at ...Category
1990s French Pencil Skirts
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford SS-2002 Silk/Rayon Skirt with Pocket DetailingBy Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Brussels, BEStraight skirts are a Saint Laurent staple and they were famously worn with broad shouldered blazers or pussy-bow blouses from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. This unusual red ski...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirts
- Alexander McQueen Resort 2015 Flower Kaleidoscope Pleated Flair Mini Skirt XSBy Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueenLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Sarah Burton for the Alexander McQueen Resort 2015 collection. Striking shades of vibrant red, pink and brown emphasize a graphic ...Category
2010s Italian Flare Skirts
- 1980s Gaultier Junior Red Denim Skirt Lace Up SidesBy Gaultier JuniorLocated in Miami, FL1980s Gaultier Junior above the knee red skirt with white stitches. It resembles a pair of converse with a star patch on the front bottom right corner and laced up shoelaces on each ...Category
1980s Italian Pencil Skirts
- Donna Karan Leather Wrap Skirt Tomato Red Size US4 IT40 FR38 1990'sBy Donna KaranLocated in Los Angeles, CA1990's Donna Karan Leather Wrap Skirt Perfect tomato red Amazing fit with slit at left side with perfect stitching in the leather 100% Lambskin Fu...Category
Late 20th Century Korean Wrap Skirts
- ALAIA brick red linen Knit Pencil Skirt SBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Zürich, CHAlaia pencil skirt in light brick linen (72%) polyamide (28%) with an elastic band at the waist detailed with amplified belt loops, two zippers on t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian A-Line Skirts
- MARNI red 2015 ASYMMETRIC STRETCH CADY MIDI Skirt 40 SBy MarniLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Marni Fall 2015 stretch cady midi skirt in red viscose (59%), acetate (37%) and elastane (4%). Fall/winter 2015 collection. Features a asymmetric deconstructed hemline...Category
2010s Unknown Flare Skirts
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.