by Kathryn Brenne
Over the years I have accumulated a small collection of Chanel couture and ready-to-wear garments, which are an invaluable resource for discovering how couture and high end garments are constructed. Some of the garments were purchased from eBay while others have been found in second hand shops.
The wool jacket is quilted to the silk habotai lining. There is no interfacing used in the garment. A small shoulder pad has been inserted. Five machine keyhole buttonholes down the front of the garment and two on each sleeve vent. The buttons are black with a gold lion's head. Welt pockets are trimmed with braid. The braid is comprised of a ribbon that feeds through a black wool trim and then is applied on top of a matching black wool braid insertion trim.
The garment has been lengthened. I am guessing it was sent back to Chanel to do the alteration as a new piece of braid was inserted from one side seam to the center back. A piece of grosgrain ribbon was sewn to the bottom of the jacket. The trim was applied to the ribbon to lengthen the jacket. As a result no gold chain is in the jacket today.
The sleeve is a two-piece sleeve with a working vent.
This beautiful couture blue and lavender houndstooth wool jacket is lined with silk crepe de chine. It has hand-worked buttonholes with seven down the front of the garment, four on the pockets and four on each sleeve. Interestingly, the buttonholes on the sleeves are slightly different than those found on the garment leading me to believe that they were stitched by a different finisher. The buttons are large half ball acrylic with gold CC's embedded in them.
The jacket is trimmed with a loopy fringe trim that was made to match the fabric. It is hand stitched to the garment.
The jacket has a front facing as well as a facing for the sleeve hem and vent. There is hair canvas in the pockets and down the front of the jacket. I can feel a very wide 6" hair canvas hem interfacing in the jacket and a 3" wide interfacing in the sleeve hems. The garment is not quilted. The silk lining is pick-stitched around the neck and sleeve hems only.
There is a gold chain weight applied to the hem of the garment. Each link of the chain has been stitched to hold it in place. The silk lining has a pleat at center back. The couture label is quite different than those found in ready-to-wear garments. The sleeve is a three piece sleeve with a working vent and heavily padded shoulders.
This cropped wool jacket is lined with a silk jacquard lining. It has a trim of black and red cut on the bias from matching fabric. The raw edges of the red trim are finished with a very narrow row of serging. The trim has then been applied to the black fabric and sewn to the garment.
The sleeve is a three-piece sleeve with no vent. There is a small shoulder pad in the garment.
The closure is a 5 button machine made keyhole buttonhole hidden placket. The buttons are flat 4 hole black with a small gold CC on them.
The chain has been hand stitched to the hem allowance of the garment but it is so light weight in comparison to the thicker fabric that it serves no purpose as a weight.
This jacket is part of a suit comprised of a matching short, pleated skirt and wide black leather cummerbund belt.