CHANEL 96A: Karl Lagerfeld’s Military Jackets & Long Coats【1996 FW】 | UK

In CHANEL’s 1996 Fall/Winter collection (96A), Karl Lagerfeld joined the composure of military dress to the gleam of jewel-like buttons and jewellery. Slender jackets and long coats in black, brown, olive and beige are measured by vertical lines, then illuminated with gold and coloured glass.

British model Stella Tennant became the campaign’s still centre. Karl photographed her at Tadao Ando’s Meditation Space in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, where concrete, limited light and sharp tailoring create an unusually restrained fashion image.

The Long Line of CHANEL 96A Military Jackets and Coats

Raised collars, double-breasted fronts, disciplined rows of buttons and long, straight silhouettes establish the collection’s military influence. Karl uses the grammar of uniform without copying a uniform outright.

A black jacket is shaped close to the waist; brown and olive are woven into tweed; houndstooth carries the eye down a long coat. The shoulder-to-hem line remains rigorous, while curves close to the body and skirts in motion soften the effect. Military discipline becomes clothing in the CHANEL idiom.

The discipline of uniform, loosened by jewel-like light.
CHANEL 96A lives between severity and splendour.

The runway footage shows the full proportion of the jackets and coats, the way they move, and the visual rhythm of buttons placed along the body.

Gripoix Coloured Glass Against CHANEL Tweed

Buttons, belts and jewellery introduce colour into the collection’s austere lines. Details in 96A recall molten coloured glass poured into moulds. Depth, rounded edges and minute variations distinguish it from cut transparent stones and give each small element a jewel-like weight.

Founded in Paris in 1869, Gripoix is celebrated for this process. The Metropolitan Museum of Art names it among the houses that collaborated early and often with CHANEL. The freedom to shape intense colour made poured glass a natural partner for Gabrielle Chanel’s costume jewellery.

Buttons emphasise the length of a jacket, buckles establish the waist, and necklaces or earrings take colour across black cloth. Karl resolves the apparent opposition between military tailoring and jewellery into a coherent whole.

Gripoix
The Story of Jeweled Buttons

Stella Tennant’s First CHANEL Campaign: 96A

Stella Tennant modelled the 1996 Fall/Winter campaign, with Karl Lagerfeld behind the camera. Women’s Wear Daily reported in May 1996 that Karl chose her for approximately 30 black-and-white photographs at UNESCO Headquarters. Her cropped hair and androgynous poise aligned naturally with the collection’s military current.

The chronology assembled by CHANEL ARCHIVES lists 96A as Stella’s first campaign for the house. From Spring/Summer 1997 to Cruise 2017 she returned at intervals, appearing in nine campaigns altogether.

Stella Tennant in a beige CHANEL look for the 1996 Fall Winter 96A campaign

Stella Tennant in a yellow CHANEL jacket for the 1996 Fall Winter 96A campaign

Stella Tennant in a neutral CHANEL look for the 1996 Fall Winter 96A campaign

Stella Tennant in a light CHANEL jacket for the 1996 Fall Winter 96A campaign

CHANEL 96A at Tadao Ando’s Meditation Space, Paris

The setting was the Meditation Space at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Tadao Ando designed the exposed-concrete cylinder, completed in 1995 to mark UNESCO’s 50th anniversary. Carefully limited openings admit light and create a still interior separated from the activity outside.

The floor contains granite exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and subsequently decontaminated. Ando conceived the room as a place to consider peace beyond racial or religious division.

No official CHANEL document found for this article states that the contrast was intentional: military-inflected clothing within architecture dedicated to peace. Nonetheless, the abstract concrete surfaces visibly clarify the long tailoring, the glint of metal and glass, and Stella’s silhouette.

UNESCO advises that the Paris Headquarters, including the Meditation Space, can be visited on guided tours booked beforehand.

Wearing CHANEL 96A Tweed Jackets and Coats Today

Despite their decoration, the jackets are grounded in exact tailoring. Allow the buttons to lead: wear black with narrow trousers or a straight skirt, and brown or olive tweed with a plain layer. The result preserves the collection’s 1990s assurance while remaining composed today.

Coloured glass and substantial gold buttons can replace a necklace. Fastened, the jacket retains a uniform’s precision; open, the line relaxes. The elongated cut and decisive detail keep 96A remarkably clear nearly thirty years on.