--- title: See the Best Chanel Styles of the Early 1960s description: A look back at the suits that made a splash in the early 1960s. canonical: https://time.com/3879003/flashback-chanel-style-by-paul-schutzer-in-life/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-06T15:00:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T09:08:31.000Z og:title: See the Best Chanel Styles of the Early 1960s og:description: A look back at the suits that made a splash in the early 1960s. og:url: https://time.com/3879003/flashback-chanel-style-by-paul-schutzer-in-life/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f93bd833004dd51/69884b4c0b72e3aacc6e3800/140206-chanel-fashion-1961-07.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Chanel Style 1961 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See the Best Chanel Styles of the Early 1960s twitter:description: A look back at the suits that made a splash in the early 1960s. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f93bd833004dd51/69884b4c0b72e3aacc6e3800/140206-chanel-fashion-1961-07.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Flashback: Chanel Style by Paul Schutzer in LIFE by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:08 AM UTCPublished: Feb 6, 2014 3:00 PM UTC  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original storyPaul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:08 AM UTCPublished: Feb 6, 2014 3:00 PM UTC Most couturiers would be satisfied to have one of their designs reach icon status; Coco Chanel has had several, including her Little Black Dress, handbag with chain strap, and tweed suits, which have been worn by everyone from Jackie Kennedy to _Vogue_ editor Anna Wintour (the latter wore them throughout her pregnancy by unzipping the skirt a touch). Even as the fashion house has evolved, most notably with the appointment of head designer Karl Lagerfeld in 1983, the tweed suit has remained a staple of the collection, season after season. In its Sept. 1, 1961 issue, LIFE magazine paid tribute to the latest version of the classic: a suit that had “a more crisply tailored figure-fitting shape with small shoulders and narrow set-in sleeves,” compared to the soft-shoulder, boxier version that was introduced the previous season. As New York Fashion Week continues, TIME looks back at the Chanel suits that made a splash more than 50 years ago. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk)_._  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "These are Chanel's variations on her neat, narrow theme. From left: violet wool fitted jacket with silk revers; oatmeal tweed suit with nutria banding; coral tweed suit with gold lame blouse; beige wool bound in gilt braid." Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "The close-fitting Chanel cardigan is worn with Chanel signature bag made of quilted leather with gold chain for over-shoulder wear." Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. An outtake not published in original story Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. 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