The legendary stylist, photographer, illustrator, artist, designer, pop icon and fashion superstar passed away at the age of 85, and it is safe to say that the world of fashion will never be the same again. To ensure the succession, for now, Virginie Viard, his right hand for 30 years. Claudia Schiffer: "Karl was my magic powder, he transformed me from a shy German girl into a supermodel"
If you want to be politically correct, go ahead, but please don't try to involve others in your discussion, because that would be the end of it all. Do you want to be boring? Just be politically correct ”. This, in a nutshell, the Lagerfeld-thought: ironic, absolutely not aligned, counter-trend and above all personal. If there is one thing that Karl Lagerfeld has never tried to do was to try to win the sympathies of the public: he has always gone his own way, regardless of successes (many) and controversies (as many). Karl Lagerfeld, legendary stylist, photographer, illustrator, artist, designer, pop icon and fashion superstar died at the age (perhaps) of 85, seen as he has always played on his year of birth, and it can be said with total certainty that the fashion world will never really be the same again.Farewell to Karl Lagerfeld: the memory of stylists, supermodels and friends READ MORE“Karl was my magic powder, he transformed me from a shy German girl into a supermodel. He taught me about fashion, style and how to survive in the fashion world ». So with a post on Instagram Claudia Schiffer remembers the stylist her compatriot. «What Andy Warhol was for art he was for fashion. It is irreplaceable. He is the only person who could make black and white full of color. I will be eternally grateful to him, ”Schiffer adds.
Defined as a Renaissance man, capable of having a thousand interests and a thousand different skills, a genius, a punk (the definition is by Riccardo Tisci, who in an interview with D La Repubblica in 2013 took him as an example of less "aligned" fashion) , nicknamed Kaiser Karl due to the grandeur of his figure in the stylistic panorama, he represents a unique figure, of what the Americans call “larger than life”, who goes beyond the limits of his work.
Karl Lagerfeld, designer of Chanel and Fendi, has died. His life in pictures
One thing must be said immediately of Lagerfeld: things had to be done his way, regardless of the rest. This happened even for his date of birth and his family: Karl Otto Lagerfed was born in Hamburg on 10 September 1933 to Christian, an entrepreneur in the field of dairy products, and Elizabeth Bahlmann, who at the time of the meeting with her future husband she worked as a saleswoman in a Berlin shop. And here, things get complicated: he supports the noble origins of the family, explaining that his mother was known as "Elizabeth of Germany" and that his father was Otto Ludwig Lagerfeldt, of a noble Swiss family, and to be born in '38, and then talk about '35. A German television program, interviewing a schoolmate of his, confirms '33 as the correct year, he niche until the end but it doesn't matter, he can.
What is certain is that at 14 he goes to Paris to study art and design, because the talent is evident. Speaks several languages, is immediately noticed, in 1954 he won the newborn Woolmark Prize, forerunner of the fashion awards so much in vogue today: to give him the victory the sketch of a coat, while the other emerging talent with whom the title must be shared, Yves Saint Laurent, created an evening dress.
After the trophy he goes to be assistant to Pierre Balmain, at the time the epitome of Parisian chic, then for 5 years he designed Jean Patou's haute couture. On his debut, some journalists leave the room outraged by the slits and necklines of the dresses: the criticisms are not particularly positive, but for Lagerfeld this matters little, and he continues to shorten the hems up and structure the shapes in a new, unusual way. The truth is that couture alone is close to him, because it is the contemporary, reality and progress that naturally tends. The arrival at Chloé in 1963 (until '78, to then return to the leadership of the brand between '92 and '97) is therefore ideal for him, because he can give life to his vision. His women are ethereal, bohemian, sexy and sometimes even camp, but they are certainly real and dressed for the reality that surrounds them. In '65 he began his partnership at Fendi, where he signed a life contract (the same agreement that he would sign years later by Chanel). With the Fendi sisters he becomes one of the family, the seamstresses of the Roman ateliers know and adore him. And indeed today Silvia Venturini Fendi, Creative Director of Fendi remembers him like this: “I am deeply saddened because today we have lost a unique man and a designer without equal, who has given so much to Fendi and to myself. I was just a little girl when I first saw Karl. Our relationship was very special, based on a deep and genuine affection. Between us there was a great mutual appreciation and infinite respect. Karl Lagerfeld was my mentor and point of reference. One look was enough to understand each other. For me and for Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld's creative genius was and will always be the guiding light that shaped the Maison's DNA. I will miss him very much and will always carry with me the memories of the days spent together ”.
After his arrival at Fendi, Lagerfeld worked tirelessly on more and more projects: in 1974 he also founded the brand that bears his name, and which continues to alternate fortunes today (Hilfiger took over in 2005, however leaving him artistic control).
In 1983 things change once again. Ten years after Coco's death, he was asked to take over the Chanel house and make it "fashionable" again. His friends beg him not to do it, not to ruin his life in that dusty and outdated mausoleum, but for him it is a challenge to be won: and he wins it, and how. With a remarkable business sense, he focuses on the symbols of the maison, manipulating and rejuvenating them until they become pop. She explains that she knows that Coco would hate what she is doing, but that her job is to avoid repeating what has already been done, but to project herself into the future. With him Chanel returns to be one of the reference points of style, a status symbol, something to be exhibited as much for the great ladies as for the stars and it-girls of the new generation. Meanwhile, in 1989, his historical companion, Jacques de Bascher, the latest generation dandy and charismatic figure of the Parisian night scene, passed away. It is the only link that Lagerfeld, always very discreet, has ever admitted.
Along with the greatness of the brand, Lagerfeld's fame also grew at the same pace: as a photographer he realizes the press campaigns of Fendi and Chanel, he follows a series of "collateral" projects, from fashion publishing (most recently the December issue of Vogue Paris) to furniture design, passing through Steidl, publishing house in which it holds a stake, in the Pirelli Calendar, up to (even) gadgets and ice creams. His home in Paris, with its spectacular library, crammed with volumes, is often used as a photographic studio: what matters to Lagerfeld is never stopping, continuing to do and discover new things. He is a cultural omnivore, to those who ask him if he is ever fully satisfied after a fashion show he replies that he is like "a nymphomaniac who never reaches orgasm". In 2001 he, passionate about junk food and Coca Cola, loses 42 kilos in less than a year: his diet will also become a book, and to those who ask him why he did it, he explains that he wanted to be able to dress in Hedi Slimane suits. , indicated by many as his natural successor, not only spiritual.
When it comes to giving her opinion, she never backs down, and the results are often quite controversial: to explain the reasons for the thinness of her models, she says that no one likes to observe Junoesque women, she describes Adele as a bit too fat (except then hastily apologize to her), points in the pants of the suits the sign of the final failure, admits to dressing as if he were a character in a mask to protect himself from strangers, to hate "intellectual" conversations because the only opinion that interests him is the his, stigmatizes those who protest against furs by defining the childish argument for a society in which one eats meat and dresses in leather.
He is not even afraid of being "popular": it is to him that H&M entrusts the first collection created by a great designer in 2004. The queues outside the stores to grab a piece are very long, but the designer has to say: the quantities are too low products, according to him, for a line whose purpose is to bring great luxury fashion to the masses (he is also irritated by the fact that his models, designed for thin people, were also produced in size 48 for women, but patience). In the same period, however, a 2005 documentary, "Signé Chanel", tells the relationship of deep esteem and affection that exists between him and the seamstresses of the Parisian atelier, while his passion in recent years is Choupette, a beautiful cat Burmese gift given to him by his protégé, Baptiste Giabiconi, for whom he reserves two waitresses 24 hours a day and which he portrays very often in his editorials. Karl Lagerfeld: “Choupette is my heiress” READAnd that today inherits the life of a queen. At this point it remains to be seen who will take his place. An icon is gone, loved and discussed: and that is a void that will not be filled easily. Meanwhile, Virginie Viard, Karl Lagerfeld's right-hand man for over 30 years, will ensure the continuity of the brand, until the announcement of a new designer.
Source article: republic
