The Little Black Jacket

Dark silver buttons, braided black beads, metal chain trimmings, the finest of silks and the lightest of boucle wools — all contained in the boxy embrace of beautifully unstructured timelessness.

You can see why a classic Chanel jacket is considered the epitome of class and owning one is akin to your wardrobe’s rite of passage. And if versatility is a big factor in deciding whether or not you should make such an “investment”, you should probably consider setting aside that sum before visiting this exhibition.

Putting the wear-it-four-ways wrap dress to shame, The Little Black Jacket shows one of the world’s most coveted items of clothing worn in 113 different ways, each one styled by the inimitable Carine Roitfeld and shot by in classic black and white by Kaiser Karl Lagerfeld.

Sliding their limbs down the silky lining are an equal number of trendsetting (and trend-dodging) friends of the fashion house. Charlotte Gainsbourg’s serves as maternity wear, Georgia May Jagger vamps it up with exposed lingerie and bed hair and Kanye West wears his with leather.

As it happens, the exhibition coincides with the post-renovation opening of Chanel’s Castlereagh Street flagship. Two events, both classy and fabulous. Coco Chanel would approve.