Exemplary Object [The Tweed-Tote]

Introduction

For my Bridge 3, I chose the Tweed Suit by Coco Chanel as my object to explore for many reasons. Gabrielle Chanel better known as “Coco” liked to “dress women in suits that make them feel at ease but that still emphasize femininity.” An idea that now seems simple, yet 100 years ago was the start of a fashion revolution. This belief led Mademoiselle Chanel to create her first tweed suits, and in turn, the iconic CHANEL jacket. In the 1920’s she started working with tweed for women’s wear inspired by clothes that she used to borrow from her lovers because she really liked the ease and comfort they provided. This after a while became her signature. In 1925 made her first tweed suits that are very different from the ones we find today at stores but they still have the same essence that makes them the iconic CHANEL tweed suits. Something that drew my attention was that Coco Chanel became a figure for 20th-century women. She was a role model, image, inspiration to sophistication, great taste, and femineity but breaking the grids society designed for women. Moreover, the design of the suit was the thing that captivated my attention. Chanel simplified her designs by trying to not use bulky shoulder pads and restricting corsets in favor of body-skimming shapes. Always thinking about how to make a garment comfortable for women but also elegant and stylish. The buttons are an iconic part of this design and also very peculiar.

Inspiration and Brainstorming

Iconic women wearing the suit through the years: Lady Diana, Princess of Wales April 1997, Claudia Schiffer, 1990s, Jackie Onassis, Rihanna, Jackie Kennedy. The evolution that this suit had through the years but also how this suit was part of the history in many opportunities.

Process

First I started looking in different thrift stores for a jacket made with tweed, I found a lot of them but only one was the one that yelled at me CHANEL! Two of the qualities I chose to translate into the object I created are that I am using a jacket that looks similar to the Chanel one. It has a similar design and it is made with the iconic tweed from the jacket because I wanted to create something myself inspired by my exemplary object but taking into account sustainability. I am also using similar buttons because they make people think of the Chanel tweed suit. I added the inside of the bag that is a collage I made in photoshop with pieces of newspaper with news about the iconic suit making reference to how important was this step that Chanel gave in fashion history breaking all the standards of design about how femininity was supposed to look like. Also, I transformed a simple jacket into a tote bag and added the straps to make it a bag. Moreover, I did some design calls such as sewing the arms of the jacket to create new pockets to make it more useful and comfortable, following Cocos legacy.

Final Outcome