The genius of Karl Lagerfeld
On February 19, the world lost the famous fashion designer Karl Otto Lagerfeld. This man, the symbol of an entire era of the fashion industry, was 85 years old and he lived a life full of mysteries and secrets, a life in which he worked endlessly, showing himself brilliantly in various fields of high art. Insanely talented, he headed one of the most famous fashion houses in the world, Chanel, for 36 years.
We will talk about his amazing creative personality, which combined a constant desire to work on himself, improve, make the world more beautiful and at the same time, transforming himself, indefatigably fantasize... we will talk in this short article.
Every year the designer created 2,500 sketches - approximately seven models a day, which result in, just think, 14 collections a year... perhaps no other fashion designer had such workaholism!
However, his creativity was not limited only to clothing design. The talented fashion genius worked on new scents for the perfume line and was fond of photographing his own ideas, which he embodied in materials and fabrics. Karl's main three passions are perfume, photography and books. At the same time, Lagerfeld shoots all advertising campaigns on his own and spends a lot of time taking photographs, although he became interested in photography in his old age... He loved to draw caricatures of scandalously famous personalities, come up with scenarios for fashion shows, masquerades and holidays: they not only entertained his friends and clients, but also contributed to the fame of Lagerfeld himself..
Some “moment” ago, in January 2020, his last show took place, he was unable to attend the Chanel show, citing his fatigue, his colleague Virginie Viard, who had been Karl Lagerfeld’s colleague and friend for more than 30 years, came out to bow to the public .
In general, rumors that the studio director of the brand Viard would replace Karl as creative director appeared in 2020, when Virginie began to bow with Lagerfeld.
So it's no surprise today that Chanel CEO Alain Wertheimer entrusted her with the creative work on the collections to "continue the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld," he said in a message.
In one of his interviews, Karl Lagerfeld said the following words: “Don’t say... I could have done it if you didn’t do it.” In my opinion, these wonderful words of a man who was demanding, first of all, of himself, determined the outline of the couturier’s life and became the starting point of his actions and great thoughts.
Let's see what the life path of this man was, who, before changing the world, changed himself...
According to Karl Lagerfeld himself, his date of birth is uncertain, it ranges from 1933 to 1938. The rest of his life is known. Place of birth: Hamburg, Germany.
He was born into a wealthy family: his father was a businessman and knew 12 foreign languages, and his mother instilled in her son the fine arts and was very fond of fashion. The young man had the opportunity to choose the education he wanted. And the financial well-being of the family made it possible to get any education.
The young German's career developed rapidly. He studied at a prestigious school at the Syndicate of Haute Couture, where he met a classmate, another future star of European fashion - Yves Saint Laurent. There the relationship began, as a result of which journalists would later call them “irreconcilable rivals.” Lagerfeld made educational collections, a year after the start of the course he won his first competition for young fashion designers, the Fashion Design Competition, and in 1955 he was awarded the First Prize for the design of a coat made of wool.
Laureates: In 1954, 17-year-old Lagerfeld (far left) and 19-year-old Yves Saint Laurent (third from left) shared first prize at the International Wool Secretariat competition.
They were destined to define the fashion of the second half of the century!
In the 60s, signs of the times led Karl Lagerfeld to think completely differently than Courrages or, for example, Cardin. He bet on ready-to-wear. Instead of shouldering his own fashion house, Lagerfeld chose to work for hire, remaining a freelance designer. In short, he was moving in the exact opposite direction from Saint Laurent. But even without his own empire, Lagerfeld nevertheless became “Emperor Karl” - the ruler of many houses that flourished and prospered under his creative leadership. He first brought fame to himself and his employers in Chloe in 1963. After working there for twenty years, he left for several years in 1993, but returned in 1997 to breathe new life into the “flirty look” style he created, incomparably youthful and feminine. He was the first to come up with the idea of applying prints to lace and silk fabrics.
In 1965, in Rome, Lagerfeld began sewing fur collections for Fendi. Fashion house heiress Silvia Fendi recalled: “When Karl came to our company, I realized that something special had happened.” For Fendi, Lagerfeld came up with the concept of “Fun Fur”. The designer decided that there was no need to treat fur as a jewel: under his direction, fur coats began to be made from cropped, shaved - or, conversely, specially tousled - fur, often also dyed in the most unimaginable colors.
In the photo: Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Fendi.
From the Fendi fall-winter 2016-2017 collection - mohair lace and fur flowers! Just look how amazingly beautiful it is!
Until the end of his days he was responsible for all the collections of this house!
But the greatest accomplishment of “Emperor Charles” was the revival of the Chanel style. Ironically, it was Karl Lagerfeld, who in the 60s argued that haute couture was outdated, who by the end of the 20th century was its innovator.
In one of the articles about the fashion designer, the New Yorker wrote that in 1983, when Lagerfeld first joined Chanel, the company was going through hard times. More than 10 years had passed since the death of Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, but the brand was still in a protracted crisis and remained in the memory of customers as “something like a perfume company with several clothing stores.” Once iconic for the brand - and invented, again, by Coco Chanel herself - the tweed suit with a tight skirt by the 1980s became, in the words of former French Vogue editor Joan Juliet Buck, "an outfit for a provincial middle-aged female politician." Lagerfeld was able to change that.
The classic tweed jacket remained, but underwent all possible changes: sequins and pearls were sewn onto it, it became shorter and longer, and on the catwalk it was shown either with jeans, or with bicycle shorts, or even with sweatpants. The same thing happened with the quilted bag on a chain, invented in 1955 - Chanel 2.55. It continued to be produced - but in a variety of colors and from different materials. Thanks to Lagerfeld, the iconic bag for the brand became more expensive every year (for example, in 2010 it cost less than three thousand dollars, in 2020 - almost seven thousand).
It is not surprising that the House of Chanel is primarily besieged by American women. After all, it was Lagerfeld who for the first time created a tight evening dress, so popular today (this is a distant reminiscence of the cocktail dresses created by Coco in the 30s), each time looking new.
A real recognition of Karl’s talent was the instant sale of the Lagerfeld collection during the designer’s collaboration with H&M. The models were sold out in the first hours after the opening of the company stores.
Lagerfeld created his famous look—long hair pulled back into a ponytail, large sunglasses, silver jewelry, leather mittens, skinny trousers or jeans, a fitted jacket and a bottle of Diet Coca-Cola back in the 1980s. This image became an object of worship, a reason for jokes, and another way to capitalize the brand, or rather, all three brands that the fashion designer led. But Karl always steadily followed his once chosen course: “I am only interested in my own opinion,” the master said in an interview, he never argued with a crowd of journalists, such a possibility was excluded for them...
They write a lot about Karl Lagerfeld these days, carefully discussing his personal life and past affections... The fashion designer himself did not like talking about his personal life: “At my age, it’s indecent to talk about it,” he openly stated.
In my opinion, we have no right to judge a man of such stature: his genius left too much of a legacy to the world! How many times could he leave to the sounds of loud applause, he was already famous and his talent to shock the public was recognized many times throughout the world, but each time again and again he confidently walked the path visible only to him, he always felt all the trends and upcoming changes and in fashion and in society...
“I hate birthdays,” said Karl Lagerfeld. - I don't celebrate the past. I prefer the present and the future.”
He was always, first of all, himself, he “made himself” by working on his image, he felt a general feeling of happiness from the opportunity to simply work, therefore, cutting off everything unnecessary, he did not “spatter himself over trifles.” One of the fashion designer's most popular quotes is: “You should do what makes you happy. Forget about money or other traps that are considered success. If you're happy working in a village store, work. You only have one life." So true!
He considered his peers boring and pretentious; he said about women without taste that they were tasteless even in expensive dresses. He did not know how to be two-faced and always boldly expressed what he considered necessary... especially about an undeveloped sense of taste... If you have money, then what prevents you from developing your understanding of beauty?
And throughout the long life of the legendary German, he was surrounded by beautiful and extravagant women, many of whom became a source of inspiration for him: Cara Delevingne, Kristen Stewart, Iness de la Fressange, Keira Knightley... At Lagerfeld’s request, the brand was advertised by supermodels Linda Evangelista and Claudia Schiffer over the years, actresses Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Lily-Rose Depp, as well as famous musicians. The brand's videos were shot both by the couturier himself and by famous directors, for example, Baz Luhrmann.
Keira Knightley in Chanel advertising:
Like many people from the fashion industry, he worshiped youth and all its signs: freshness and elasticity of the skin, thinness. Karl Lagerfeld believed that natural deficiencies must be corrected. “Nobody needs these “natural” women of yours!” - exclaimed the fashion designer.
“The body must be perfect,” the couturier preached. “And if it is imperfect, go on a diet.” He knew what he was talking about: he managed to lose 40 kilograms, and the fashion designer spoke about how to achieve this in his book “The Karl Lagerfeld Diet.” It was published in 2002 and was dedicated to how the fashion designer lost significant weight in 13 months - in his own words, in order to wear Dior Homme suits created by designer Hedi Slimane. But even with such motivation, he chose his own method of losing weight: and it was like that in every little detail...
However, Karl still had passion, he did not deprive himself of the opportunity to be gentle and caring. One day, model Baptiste Giabiconi brought him a Briman cat, her name is Choupette, and Karl became “Daddy Karl” for her. For his charming pupil, he created an Instagram account, in which he talked about the daily cat worries and life of his favorite: surrounded by daddy’s care, the blue-eyed beauty in a white fur coat was served by two maids and she has a cozy separate apartment (room) in his Parisian apartment, which Lagerfeld himself and designed it with sincere fatherly love.
Perhaps the only woman, he forgives her all the “persecution” and follows her whims: he bought several collars with diamonds, she twice appears on the cover of fashion magazines (there is information that Choupette “earned” 3 million dollars) ... but “daddy Karl “He wrote it into his will during his lifetime (exactly how much Choupette will receive is still unknown). He creates an easily recognizable personal brand for his ward with a glamorous collection of fashion accessories. And here he creates! And here he again reveals another side of his multifaceted talent as an artist and designer. Indeed, if a person is talented, then he is talented in everything!
Even during Lagerfeld’s lifetime, he was called a man-machine and a man-brand, a cosmopolitan man and a man-symbol, but no matter what they call him, he is, first of all, a Creator; he created an incredibly beautiful story and left to remain a part of it forever...
Karl Lagerfeld and Dr. Udre, first meeting
The meeting is scheduled on the Boulevard Flandrin, near the Porte Dauphine, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Homeopath, herbalist and nutritionist Jean-Claude Oudret receives the great couturier in his white office filled with works of art.
Karl sits down opposite the doctor with a bushy dark mustache that curls at the ends. The first conversation is fun. "He told me: 'Hello, doctor, I was a patient of your predecessor.' I replied: “Yes, of course.” However, your medical record has been preserved,” says Dr. Udre.
Karl Lagerfeld then looks at him carefully through his dark glasses and asks if he knows who he is dealing with. “I felt a little ashamed; in fact, I confused him with another person who sewed clothes,” the doctor admits. “Then I tell him: ‘Listen, I know that you are a great couturier, but I essentially don’t know you...’.”
However, Karl is not discouraged or disappointed. He slowly explains everything to the doctor. “He started telling me about his youth,” Udre recalls. — He said that he was born in Northern Germany, that his mother was an interesting person, with a rich imagination, but at the same time she was very strict and treated him as an adult as a child. Then he told me why he came to Paris... After half an hour he asked me: “And you, who are you?” Then I did the same, I told him about my life for about ten minutes.”
Karl Lagerfeld interrupts the meeting. He wants to think before making a decision. The doctor is surprised by this visit, which looks more like a friendly conversation than a consultation. “Smart, experienced, and therefore distrustful. He understood that there was a need for mutual affection and trust in the person who might have to treat him,” explains Jean-Claude Houdret.
What inspired the great Karl: Lagerfeld’s favorite books
Books have always been the passion of the great couturier and were second only to skinny models. Lagerfeld admitted that his collection numbers about 300,000 pieces! And before Karl sold half of the books at Christie's in the 2000s, there were twice as many.
Lagerfeld himself has been asked more than once about his literary preferences. The list is impressive: it includes Russian classics (“War and Peace” by L.N. Tolstoy was the first book that the fashion designer read in French) and the works of German philosophers. Couturier read 2-3 hours a day, preferred poetry to prose and could not stand modern literature.
"Song of the Nibelungs"
Many children learned to read from the fairy tales of Barto, Andersen or Charles Perrault. But not Lagerfeld. The “fairy tale” that interested little Karl was the harsh poem “The Song of the Nibelungs” - an epic about ancient curses, desperate love and bloody wars. He himself recalled it this way: “I read The Nibelungs as a child. I had a wonderful illustrated edition by Julius Schnorr, and I became very interested in what the book was about. Mom said: “Then you must learn to read!” and forbade everyone to help me. And I was only five years old! So I had to learn to read myself - I really wanted to find out what the book was about.”
Thomas Mann "Buddenbrooks"
It is not surprising that after such a childhood experience, it was not difficult for Lagerfeld to master the Russian and French classics and take on Thomas Mann. His choice fell on "Buddenbrooks" - a fascinating saga about several generations of a clan of German businessmen. The fashion designer read “Buddenbrooks” in his youth and later admitted that this was the only novel that he read avidly. It was for this that Thomas Mann received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929.
Poems by Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson is an American poet of the 19th century and one of the most mysterious authors of world literature. Of the one thousand eight hundred poems she wrote during Emily’s lifetime, less than ten were published. According to the poetess, the thought of publication was alien to her, “like the firmament is to the fin of a fish.” For about twenty years, Dickinson practically did not leave her home and wore only white clothes, for which she received the nickname “white recluse.” The first collection of her poems was published only after the death of the poetess in 1890. Dickinson's works are distinguished by deep psychologism, short stanzas and unusual punctuation. Lagerfeld always singled out Dickinson and said that her poetry was “above all else” for him.
Virginia Woolf "Orlando"
Another woman who played a significant role in Lagerfeld’s life and work is Virginia Woolf. In the 1970s, the British writer was a central figure in “second wave” feminism. Although she became known mainly for her female psychological novels (To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway), Lagerfeld admired her diaries and the satirical novel Orlando. The young man Orlando, who lived the first part of his life as a man and the second as a woman (and even lived through several eras!), is the couturier’s favorite literary hero.
George Santayana "The Sense of Beauty"
Lagerfeld called the early work of the Spanish philosopher George Santayana his Bible. The book is based on Santayana's lectures on aesthetics, which he gave at Harvard. Lagerfeld read the first edition of 1906 in English - The Sense of Beauty was never translated into French. The main rule that Santayana laid down in his lectures is to be able to find in every thing that elusive moment that makes it special. Lagerfeld himself always adhered to the same principle when creating his unique collections.
Most of the books are in the master's Parisian apartment on the Quai Voltaire. It took Lagerfeld two and a half years to bring his dream interior to life: glass, metal and endless shelves of books. They say that the designer even had a podium to reach the top shelves!
Lagerfeld himself agreed that 300,000 books are too many for one person. But he couldn’t help but surround himself with books, and in 1999 he opened his own store with the symbolic name Librairie 7L in the Seventh Arrondissement of Paris. The store is located near the Louvre and is itself a small museum. Stylish showcases, assistants who look more like models, and rare books: on design, fashion, architecture and photography. The collector's editions bear the 7L brand name - this means that Karl personally supervised their release. But the store was not enough for the restless fashionista: Lagerfeld created his own publishing house, and then even released a perfume with the smell of printing ink. They're called "Paper Passion" and come in a book-shaped box. “Beautiful paper,” Lagerfeld noted, “is the most luxurious thing for me. I'm crazy about her, almost on a physical level. There is something sensual about touching perfect paper."
Four years ago, the fashion designer himself became the hero of the book. Stacey Cordwell and Ayiri Aki came up with a kind of illustrated guide to the world of fashion - the main character, blogger Florence, runs around editorial offices, fashion shows and parties and looks everywhere for Karl Lagerfeld to interview him. The book is called “Where is Karl?” (Where's Karl?). The main highlight is the beautiful color illustrations, where you will meet all the fashionable crème de la crème: from Anna Wintour and Alexander McQueen to Woody Allen and Kim Kardashian. Now this book has acquired a symbolic meaning and has turned into a kind of farewell bow to the fashion designer. So where is Karl?
What was Karl Lagerfeld sick with, news: the personal life of the famous fashion designer
Karl said that none of the men even wants to look at overweight representatives of the fair sex. He said that such women can only sit in front of the TV all day long, eat chips and discuss slender models.
Karl even had to apologize for some of his expressions. So, seven years ago there was such a situation with the famous performer Adele. Karl said that she was too fat, although he paid tribute to her magical voice.
In another interview, Lagerfeld criticized Russian men to smithereens, noting that most of them are “true freaks.” But he gave Russian couturiers the title of the most beautiful in the world. To this, the master of fashion noted that if he were Russian girls, he would prefer non-traditional sexual orientation.
Another of his loud and not very nice statements affected the children. The fashion designer said that fatherhood is the last thing he would like. He stated that he hates children, as he is a family man.
The designer’s quotes always became instantly popular, because they were immediately rewritten by all fashion publications.
