Karl Lagerfeld’s Most Memorable Twists on the Iconic Chanel Suit Inline

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    For his Fall 1991 collection, Karl Lagerfeld remade the classic suit silhouette in denim.

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    Fall 2003’s suits were minimalism and mini—their only embellishments were the Kazimir Malevich paintings printed on their fronts.

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    Photo: Marcio Madeira
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    Lagerfeld had never shown a Chanel tweed for men until his Fall 2004 collection, where he sent out a number of garçons in the garçon-inspired suit. Today, a Brad Kroenig or Baptiste Giabiconi sighting in Chanel is the norm.

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    Coco Chanel came from humble, if not impoverished, beginnings, and the idea of a certain “poverty de luxe” was always present in her designs. Lagerfeld touched on this with his Fall 2008 collection featuring suits with faux rips, tears, and patches.

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    Photo: Monica Feudi / GoRunway.com
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    The Chanel-clad women of the ’20s might have been scandalized to see Lagerfeld’s Spring 2011 version with hot shorts in lieu of a skirt.