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The Chanel suit is timeless and nearly a hundred years since it was first created and worn by Coco Chanel (in 1913), it remains as valid and desirable as ever. A true revolutionary in her time, Chanel created clothes for herself, being strongly opposed to all the unnecessary frou-frou of the lace, padding and corsetry that was in fashion at the time. A rather bold move considering fashions were not to be argued with in those days, so not wearing the same dress as the next woman (albeit in a different fabric) was deemed to be a defiant statement (or you had an unfortunate mental situation). Luckily for us in the case of Coco Chanel it was the former- she ignored the opulent glamour and catered purely to her own tastes and created a unique kind of chic.

The style that was created is such a perfect template, even the notoriously eccentric Karl Lagerfeld cannot stray far from it, despite his claims that 'the past is but an illusion' and that only new creations count. Following this template, practical and functional down to the last stitch, the Chanel suit jacket really is a perfectly engineered little gem. The hem is weighted with a chain to ensure it hangs correctly, no button will deserve a place unless it is actually there to do something and there are no fake pockets.

As ever, the jacket (and all the copies of the jacket, luckily) is major news this season, with investment buying and versatility remaining imperative. Personally, I have a passion for exquisite versions of the heels, leggings, t-shirt and jacket combo and this season Chanel will be my choice, preferably with quite a sizable amount of shoulder pad involved.

Looking at pictures of Chanel suits over the years, no matter what era it is from, they all appear to be images that could be delighting the pages of Vogue right now. Coco Chanel was trying to achieve perfection in the everlasting, and I think she did.

Sophie Penn 

Chanel SS10, all images via style.com.