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Chanel no 11

Ensemble
1964 (made)
Artist/Maker
Ascher Ltd (manufacturer)
Chanel (made and retailed by)
Coco Chanel (designer)
Place of origin
France (made)

This is a classic tailored Chanel suit from Spring Summer 1964. The loosely woven lilac mohair tweed, made by Ascher Ltd, is perfectly handled. The lining, in flower-printed fine silk, also forms the fabric of the sleeveless dress bodice. The skirt is lined in the same silk, a luxurious detail which only the wearer would have been aware of. The jacket has faux blouse sleeves below the wool cuff to make it appear that the wearer is wearing a long-sleeved blouse underneath. The fabrics are extremely lightweight, in tune with Chanel's design philosophy that clothes should be elegant, comfortable, and easy to move in.

Object details

Categories
Fashion
Womenswear
Day Wear
Europeana Fashion Project
Womenswear
Object type
Ensemble
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Dress
  • Jacket
  • Cufflink
  • Cufflink
Titles
  • Chanel no 11
  • Kanimura (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Mohair wool, printed silk organza and metal, lined
Wool (Textile)
Organza
Brief description
Wool mohair tweed 'Kanimura' jacket and dress with attached bodice of printed silk organza 'Chanel no 11', designed by Coco Chanel, woollen textile by Ascher Ltd., France, Haute Couture Autumn Winter 1964
Physical description
Purple wool mohair tweed jacket and dress with attached bodice of stone coloured printed silk organza.
Dimensions
  • Circumference: 1015mm (Note: dress bust)
  • Circumference: 685mm (Note: dress waist)
  • Length: 1115mm (Note: dress)
  • Width: 445mm (Note: dress shoulder to shoulder seam)
  • Circumference: 1040mm (Note: jacket)
  • Circumference: 925mm (Note: jacket)
  • Length: 573mm (Note: jacket)
Production typeHaute couture
Marks and inscriptions
'CHANEL' (Label)
Gallery label
(16/09/2023)
[Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition, September 2023 - March 2024]

SUIT

London-based Ascher Ltd manufactured the loosely woven mohair tweed of this suit. Ascher gained a reputation for developing and supplying a new range of mohair mix fabrics to Paris couture in the late 1950s and 60s. The material is extremely lightweight compared with traditional wool tweed, in line with Chanel’s design manifesto that clothes should be elegant, but comfortable and easy to move in.

Autumn/Winter 1964
‘Kanimura’ wool by Ascher, printed silk and gilded metal
V&A: T.90 to C-1974
Given by the Baroness Alain de Rothschild
Credit line
Given by the Baroness Alain de Rothschild
Object history
Worn and given by the Baroness Alain de Rothschild via Cecil Beaton
Production
Mohair tweed 'Kanimura' (trade name for the mohair tweed) by Ascher.
Association
Rothschild, Alain
Summary
This is a classic tailored Chanel suit from Spring Summer 1964. The loosely woven lilac mohair tweed, made by Ascher Ltd, is perfectly handled. The lining, in flower-printed fine silk, also forms the fabric of the sleeveless dress bodice. The skirt is lined in the same silk, a luxurious detail which only the wearer would have been aware of. The jacket has faux blouse sleeves below the wool cuff to make it appear that the wearer is wearing a long-sleeved blouse underneath. The fabrics are extremely lightweight, in tune with Chanel's design philosophy that clothes should be elegant, comfortable, and easy to move in.
Bibliographic references
  • Wilcox, C. & Mendes, V., Modern Fashion in Detail, London: V&A Publications, 1991, p.56., ISBN 1 85177 032 1
  • Fashion : An Anthology by Cecil Beaton. London : H.M.S.O., 1971 52
  • Cullen, Oriole and Karol Burks, Connie. "Gabrielle Chanel". London: V&A Publishing, 2023 p 224 Chanel’s experimentation with vibrant colour for her classic tailored suits can be seen in this lilac wool mohair tweed suit from Autumn/Winter 1964. Beneath the jacket, a dress takes the appearance of a separate blouse and skirt. The loosely woven tweed, trademarked Kanimura, was made by London-based textile manufacturer Ascher Ltd. Ascher gained a reputation for developing and supplying a new range of mohair mix fabrics to Paris couture in the late 1950s and ’60s. The material is extremely lightweight compared with traditional wool tweed, in line with Chanel’s design philosophy that clothes should be elegant, comfortable and easy to move in. The jacket is lined with a cream silk printed with mauve and brown irises, which also forms the fabric of the sleeveless dress bodice and neck bow, creating a unified look. The skirt is lined in the same silk, a luxurious detail of which only the wearer would have been aware. The jacket has faux blouse sleeves below the wool cuff , giving the appearance of a long-sleeved blouse underneath. This same suit design featured in British Vogue in May 1964, which celebrated its ‘soft and relaxed tailoring’ and ‘precise detailing’. The suit retailed at British chainstore Wallis, which specialized in ready-to-wear copies of Chanel designs that it off ered at signifi cantly lower prices than the original couture pieces.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.90&A, B, C-1974

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Record createdAugust 30, 2007
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O138819/chanel-no-11-ensemble-coco-chanel/
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