Chanel's Foot Soldiers Advance

IT'S the kind of exquisitely simple and unfettered design that several generations of stylish women have come to expect from the House of Chanel. This particular one is a collarless jacket with two precise rows of brass buttons down the front, each button bearing the familiar logo with interlocking C's. The jacket is the brainchild of Chanel's resident innovator, Karl Lagerfeld, who has picked up the traditions of the Great Coco as skillfully as Astaire did the tango. But there is no fancy footwork in evidence here, just long, clean lines defined by the princess shaping and a high, collarless ring neckline that flatters the wearer by gently elongating her neckline, and, by the way, provides an ideal setting for a single strand of pearls. Or, now that the weather is turning colder, a turtleneck sweater. Two other styles have collars. The nice touches don't stop there, of course. There are generous, bellows patch pockets, their flaps held down by those golden buttons, and a half-belt in back that is similarly secured.