Crochet The Runway : Chanel's Tweed Suit

If there is one fashion house that will forever be synonymous with timeless elegance and the epitome of French style, it is Chanel. I mean, Coco famously stated, “I don’t do fashion. I am fashion.” Arrogant? Maybe - if it wasn’t true.

While we consider many of the iconic Chanel pieces or design elements extremely classic - verging on dated now - that’s precisely because they were so novel at the time of their first release. Chanel is black and white, pearls, capped-toe shoes, and the inevitable tweed suit, especially the jacket.

More casual than a blazer, it’s still considered elevated and, for many, a staple of their capsule wardrobe. I do not own a Chanel jacket (my birthday is in August - anybody?) but I have two tweed jackets I love: one white, and another I thrifted on my trip to Normandy (article coming up in Travel on the 2/06/2025) that is a deep navy blue (pure wool for literally 8 euros!!).

The jacket

Anyway, enough fangirling. Let’s get into why this is deserving of an article.

A Bold Beginning

Conceived by Coco Chanel in 1921, the shape of the ‘Chanel suit’ tweed jacket was a bit of a revolution. At the time, we were reverting back to corseted styles, so a boxy shape in a rough, traditionally more masculine fabric was a bold direction to take.

It is said she was inspired by the sporting jackets she would borrow from the Duke of Westminster - her then-boyfriend (who was married) - while visiting his Scottish estate.

Photo: Coco Chanel with Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, at Chester Races, 1924

The fact that tweed was popular with both farmers and aristocrats, for hunting or golf, made this design especially appealing. The sturdiness of the fabric immediately gave the jacket structure and an added air of quality. Chanel worked on making it softer and introduced a combination of materials like ribbons or leather.

From Paris to the White House

The Chanel jacket as we now know it - not necessarily as part of a suit - was introduced post–World War II at the reopening of the headquarters on Rue Cambon in Paris.

At first, the French did not like it. Probably because Chanel had been absent for a while and likely also because it was in direct opposition to the dominating silhouette of Christian Dior’s New Look.

Photo: Christian Dior’s infamous New Look silhouette

Americans loved it. It was eventually worn in 1963 by Jackie Kennedy, then First Lady of the United States.

Photo: Jackie Kennedy, American First Lady, wearing a pink Chanel-inspired suit on one of the most important days in American history: the assassination of John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963

The boxy shape has hardly changed throughout the years. Although it has been cropped, dyed, lengthened, and adorned with a variety of pearls, metals, and sequins, the core DNA of the design remains untouched.

How to Make It in Crochet?

This design is particularly well suited to the exercise of this series, Crochet the Runway, because of the textural aspect and ‘simple’ shape of the garment.

When looking for patterns and tutorials, I especially focused on boxy, cropped, traditional silhouettes - ideally with an interesting texture. Houndstooth, for example, feels very Chanel to me.

Luckily, because this design is incredibly popular, there are a million options to get started.

My Shortlist:

• This video tutorial is free and suitable for intermediate level crocheters.

• This video tutorial is also free but the design is more complex as it includes trims - closer to Chanel's original.

• This paid written pattern is a true vintage. I personally don't think I have the skills for that one yet but it will be as authentic as it gets.

• My first choice (paid) would be one of the cardigan's from Yumeijie as i think a lot of her designs are very Chanel-compatible. She is great at striking a balance between feminine and delicate without going fully into grandma territory (which can be tough with crochet sometimes).

  • The Blair cardigan

  • The Giada cardigan - this is what I would go for as I love the texture.

Finishing Touches

Given my existing options and personal colour preferences, I would go black and white or brown and cream. I’d definitely pick pearl buttons, and I might try to incorporate a chain detail on the trim. I remember seeing some tutorials to do that for a bag strap, so I’m fairly certain I could work out a solution there.

Plus, once you have the jacket/cardigan done, a skirt with an elastic waistband (crochet a tube and insert a waistband elastic) in the same stitch and with the same trim will make it a suit!