The Little Black Jacket, Mini Palais

The Little Black Jacket exhibition, consisting of one black tweed Chanel jacket and 109 of Karl Largerfeld’s favourite muses, has finally landed in its spiritual home: Paris. After a global six month tour: Seoul, Berlin, Moscow, London, Hong Kong, Taipei, New York, Tokyo and Sydney, the iconic jacket – a garment of such beauty and elegance that it seems to transcend time, age, style, any trend, and certainly here at least, flatter both sexes – has finally reached the Mini Palais.

Although, as you can see, there’s nothing mini about this venue:

Having missed the October showing at the Saatchi gallery, London, we wasted no time in nipping across from the Grand Palais (where Paris Photo was taking place) next door.

All shot by Karl Largerfeld, these images are exquisite. Many people view Lagerfeld as a fashion designer only, but his parallel career as a photographer is an impressive one. He began working a professional photographer in 1987 and has received many accolades since; including the 1996 culture prize from the German Photographic Society and in 2007, the trustees award from the International Centre of Photography in New York.

Each model was encouraged to channel their own personality using the simple cut and silhouette of the jacket; whether it be to manifest a rock chick, Elizabethan gent, sailor or in Carine Roitfeld’s case: Mademoiselle herself.

Not all muses are instantly recognisable. Others are …

The Little Black Jacket is at the Mini Palais until 25 November 2012. Admission is free.

For further information please visit: http://thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com

All images by CELLOPHANELAND*.

Recommended reading: Chanel Catwalk: The Complete Karl Lagerfeld Collections. Visit our bookstore to purchase.