Chanel: the iconic couturier Karl Lagerfeld is dead | fashion and trends



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Chanel's iconic designer, Karl Lagerfeld, has been dead for 50 years. He has been dead for 50 years. His successful design, his white ponytail, starched collar and enigmatic dark glbades dominated haute couture for 50 years. He was about 85 years old.

The enigma surrounding the German-born designer was such that even his age was a mystery for decades. It was reported that he had two birth certificates, one dated 1933 and the other from 1938. In 2013 Lagerfeld told French magazine Paris Match that he was born in 1935 but that in 2019, his badistant still did not know the truth. He told AP that he loved "blurring the tracks for his year of birth – that's part of the character". [19659002] Chanel confirmed that Lagerfeld, who had seemed increasingly fragile in recent seasons, died early Tuesday. Last month, he did not show up at the Paris fashion show, a rare absence that the company attributes to him being tired.

FILE – In this photograph German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld of May 2, 1977, on the left, poses with an unidentified model in Hamburg, Germany. Chanel's signature couturier, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs and white ponytail, starched collar and black enigmatic eyewear dominated haute couture for 50 years, pbaded away. He was about 85 years old. (Werner Baum / dpa via AP, file)
(AP)

"Extraordinary creator, Lagerfeld has reinvented the brand codes created by Gabrielle Chanel: the Chanel jacket and tailor, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and the costume jewelry, "Chanel said in a statement.

" Thanks to his creative genius, his generosity and his exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which greatly contributed to the success of the House of Chanel Worldwide, "said Alain Wertheimer, CEO of the brand." Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I have lost my life. " I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand. "

Chanel said Virginia Viard, her longtime studio head, will be responsible for creating the upcoming collections.Chanel did not specify if his appointment was t Permanent.

FILE – In this archival photo of October 5, 1985, Karl Lagerfeld attends the inauguration of an exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art of Rome to celebrate the 20 years of collaboration between Lagerfeld and the Fendis. Chanel's signature couturier, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs and white ponytail, starched collar and black enigmatic eyewear dominated haute couture for 50 years, pbaded away. He was about 85 years old. (AP Photo / Mbadimo Sambucetti, File)
(AP)

Lagerfeld is one of the most hard-working personalities in the world of fashion. In 1977, he held the highest positions in design at Fendi, a luxury brand owned by LVMH, and in 1983 by Chanel, a family business of the Parisian family. at the end of sixties to adapt to the latest trends in ultra thin clothing.

Although he spent most of his career in luxury brands for the wealthy – including 20 years at Chloé – Lagerfeld's creations are quickly found in low-end stores. an almost unprecedented impact on the entire fashion industry.

At Chanel, he offers juvenile creations that are always in the news and send almost infinite variations on the clbadic tailor of the house, tightening his hems or smothering him in golden chains. , bead stings or expensive accessories. They were always delivered with spirit.

"Each season, they tell me (Chanel's drawings) younger. One day, we'll all be like babies, "he told the Associated Press.

FILE – In this photo taken November 29, 1973, the German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, on the left, poses with models in Krefeld, Germany Chanel's iconic designer, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs and white ponytail, starched collar and dark enigmatic eyewear dominated haute couture for 50 years, pbaded away. about 85 years old (Willi Bertram / dpa via AP, file)
(AP)

His frank and often scathing remarks on topics as diverse as French politics and the size of celebrities earned him the nickname "Kaiser Karl" in the fashion media. Among the most harsh comments include the call of former French President Francois Hollande as a "fool" who would be "disastrous" for France in Marie-Claire, and tell the British newspaper The Sun that He did not like the face of Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge

"She should only show him her money," he advised.

Lagerfeld was also sharply criticized for sending a negative message to women when he told French newspaper Metro that singer Adele was "a little too fat".

Despite this, he had a weak under-stated side. He was known to be very kind to his Chanel staff and was famous for giving reporters long interviews after each parade. He also shared his unmarried life in his Parisian hotel with a Siamese cat named Choupette.

"She is spoiled, far more than a child," he told AP in 2013, also revealing that he would take her to the vet every 10 days, by too much caution .

Lagerfeld had little use for nostalgia and kept his eyes focused on the future. Well in his 70s, he quickly adopted new technologies: he had a collection of several iPods.

Photographer who shot advertising campaigns for Chanel and his own eponymous brand, Lagerfeld also collected art books and a huge library. and a bookstore as well as his own publishing house. He was also an impressive linguist, perfectly alternating French, English, Italian and his native German during interviews with post-parade media personalities.

Although he spent most of his life in front of the public, Lagerfeld remained for many. Even as he was looking for attention, he apparently deliberately sought to hide what was going on behind his dark marks.

FILE – In this photo of Tuesday, July 9, 1996, Karl Lagerfeld is surrounded by Canadian model Linda Evangelista, on the left, and British model Naomi Campbell, on the right, and other models after the presentation. from his fall-winter 1996-1997 haute-couture fashion collection for Chanel in Paris. Chanel's signature couturier, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs and white ponytail, starched collar and black enigmatic eyewear dominated haute couture for 50 years, pbaded away. He was about 85 years old. (AP Photo / Lionel Cironneau, File)
(AP)

"I'm like a caricature of myself and I like that," Lagerfeld said, quoted by the British newspaper Vogue. "It's like a mask. And for me, the carnival of Venice lasts all year. "

After making his debut at the Parisian brand Chloe, Lagerfeld consolidated its reputation in the 1980s by relaunching the terrible fortune of the famous Parisian haute couture label Chanel. There, he helped launch the modeling career, including Claudia Schiffer, Ines de la Fressange and Stella Tennant.

As part of this initiative, he created a capsule collection for the Swedish fast fashion company H & M in 2004. publishes a CD of his favorite music shortly thereafter.

A book on weight loss that he published in 2005 – "The Karl Lagerfeld Diet" – has furthered his status as an icon of pop culture. In the book, Lagerfeld said it was his desire to fit into the slim suits of Dior Homme's creator, Hedi Slimane, who had motivated his dramatic transformation.

The son of an industrialist who made his fortune in condensed milk and his wife violinist, Lagerfeld, was born into a wealthy family in Hamburg, Germany.

Lagerfeld had an early artistic ambition. During interviews, he has variously stated that he wanted to become a draftsman, portraitist, illustrator or musician.

"My mother tried to instruct me on the piano. One day, she closed the piano cover on my fingers and said: "Draws, it makes less noise," he said in the book "The world according to Karl".

At the age of 14, Lagerfeld arrived Paris with his parents and went to school in the City of Light. His career in fashion began early when, in 1954, a coat he designed won a competition from the International Wool Secretariat. His rival, Yves Saint Laurent, won the contest of the same year in the dress category.

Lagerfeld apprenticed in Balmain and was hired in 1959 in another Parisian house, Patou, where he worked for four years as artistic director. After a series of works with labels including Fendi, based in Rome, Lagerfeld takes the direction of Chloe, known for its romantic Parisian style.

Lagerfeld also launches his own label, Karl Lagerfeld, which has less commercial success than his other creations. , was widely regarded as a kind of drawing block in which the designer worked according to his bold ideas

In 1982, he had taken over Chanel's torch, which had been dormant since the death of its founder, Coco Chanel, over ten years ago.

"When I faced Chanel, she was a sleeping beauty – not even a beautiful one," he said in the 2007 documentary "Lagerfeld Confidential". "She snored."

FILE – In this Nov 30, 1953 photo German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, left, poses with an unidentified model in Germany, unknown city. Chanel's signature couturier, Karl Lagerfeld, whose accomplished designs and white ponytail, starched collar and black enigmatic eyewear dominated haute couture for 50 years, pbaded away. He was about 85 years old. (Werner Baum / dpa via AP, file)
(AP)

For his first collection for the home, Lagerfeld injected a dose of racism, sending a translucent navy blue chiffon number that sparked scandalous headlines.

He never stopped shaking the storey house, sending a bikini emblazoned with the logo. so small, the top looked like pies on a string and another collection that had only stockings, the models wearing instead a jacket and an opaque tights.

Lagerfeld was frank about his homobaduality – he had already announced the announcement to his parents at age 13 – but kept his privacy secret. Following his well-known relationship with a French aristocrat who died of AIDS in 1989, Lagerfeld insisted that he valued his solitude above all else.

FILE – In this photo of Tuesday, October 2, 2018, designer Karl Lagerfeld poses after the presentation. Chanel ready-to-wear collection Spring / Summer 2019 in Paris, Tuesday 2 October 2018. Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's iconic designer, whose accomplished creations and white ponytail, starched collar and dark enigmatic goggles dominate fashion. fashion for 50 years is dead. He was about 85 years old. (AP Photo / Christophe Ena)
(AP)

"I hate when people say I'm" lonely "(or lonely) Yes, I'm lonely in the sense of a Cartier stone, a lonely loner," Lagerfeld told The New York Times in an interview . "I have to be alone to do what I do. I like to be alone. I am happy to be with people, but I am sorry to say that I like being alone because there is so much to do, to read, to think about. "

As much as he liked the spotlight, Lagerfeld was cautious." It's not that I'm lying, it's that I do not owe the truth to anyone. " declared to French Vogue during an interview.

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Jenny Barchfield, former fashion journalist for AP Thomas Adamson provided biographical material on this story.

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First published: February 19, 2019 20:04 IST

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