Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld


If you missed it; Karl Lagerfeld, the designer behind CHANEL, is no more. One of the most iconic fashion designers of all time has taken his last breath at the age of 85.

We think it's time to reflect on the highlights of this iconic fashion designer.

What was his career?

And what has he meant for the fashion world as we know it?

A small biography of this special designer.


SECOND BEST - After his high school education at the Lycée Montaigne in Paris, Karl wins second prize in a design competition. He won this prize from Yves Saint Laurent (feed for years of not-so-subtle quarrel). His second prize resulted in a job as an assistant to designer Pierre Balmain; no mean feat for the son of a milk manufacturer from Hamburg!

Wandering journeys around the country of couture followed - previously slumbering fashion houses Jean Patou, Valentino, Fendi and Chloé got a serious makeover from Karl. But over time, he ended up in the job that generated the most name recognition. He became creative director and chief designer of the CHANEL brand.



CHANEL - He touches the legacy of Coco up and propels the desirability of the Chanel brand to unprecedented heights. Thanks to him, CHANEL became a household name in the General Public. From fashion-loving teenage girls to wannabe rappers, from small-town riot cousins to flower-arranging trophy husbands and even your own hard-working plumber; everyone has a bag or shirt with that desirable double C in the closet - whether or not hastily scored on a Turkish market with the hot breath of the tour guide in your neck.

H&M - But Karl was also commercial. In addition to his work for Chanel, he also released several fashion lines under his own name and collaborated with commercial giants such as Diesel and Hogan. He kicked off the mega-popular series of partnerships with clothing giant H&M

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KING, EMPEROR, CARICATURE - Emperor Karl - a nickname given to him by his great love who affectionately called him "mein Kaiser" - was not just an icon. If we take a closer look at his looks from the last years; the man dressed with obsessive consistency in a self-imposed uniform. So loose and experimental the fashion he designed, so tight and static he dressed himself.

Gray ponytail, black sunglasses, snow white starched shirt with collar to below the chin (100% sagging-jawline proof), black suit, black gloves, affable pout. Caricature? How hot! That he flirted with it until he weighed an ounce is common knowledge.


MINI - ME - Several major companies released hilarious tributes to his signature style - we like to mention the Karl Lagerfeld teddy bear made by the world famous Steiff, and the Karl Barbie (Karbie :-)) from Mattel. Karl himself hired a satirical cartoonist for a hilarious capsule collection featuring images of Karl and his cat Choupette.


MUSE MAKER - MUSE BREAKER - Choupette - Karl's adopted cat - is one of the many muses he adored in his life. Because even though Karl was loyal to himself; he was less loyal to the muses he "ad

opted" - at the start of a new campaign or a new fragrance / cosmetics line. As with most celebrities of his caliber; he could make or break people.


JUST LIKE CANDY - Ines de la Fressange was his first muse. Linda "I won't get out of bed for less than $ 10,000," Evangelista stuck with him the longest. He discovered Claudia Schiffer and thanked for her again with the subtle sneer "she doesn't know who she is". Kate Moss, Vanessa Paradis, Keira Knightly, Cara Delivigne… he gobbled them up like candy and spat them out just as easily. The first wrinkles caused by a dry skin were sometimes reason enough for an exit - the man suffered from unabashed ageism.


Also to himself - fair is fair - because he was as vague as can be about his own age. "You'll have to wait for my memoirs to find out my real age," he once said. Unfortunately, those memoirs have been overtaken by his death and the cat's out of the bag… until now we didn't know how old the man really was.



R.I.P. KARL LAGERFELD

10/09/1933 - 19/02/2019


Flamboyant personality. Passionate fashion designer. Gifted photographer. Brilliant Marketing Strategist. Karl was it all. You love him, you hate him, or you love to hate him.


Let them watch out in heaven, fashion will be the center of attention there from now on!


Ilse & Nicole







JUST LIKE KARL


Of course we couldn't resist showing our selection of iconic Karl items. Because, as you know, we love the classics and iconic style, only we dress a little less caricature ourselves :-).


Love Ilse & Nicole


CLICK HERE FOR OUR SELECTION


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KING OF QUOTES


Karl certainly didn't mince words about himself and the world around him. The golden combination of humor, a pinch of falsehood and a touch of arrogance resulted in some unforgettable statements.

Karl about fashion

“Trendy is the last stage before tacky.” (Ouch….)

"The clothes don't have to suit you, you have to suit the clothes."

Karl on selfies

Electronic masturbation. (Amen)

Karl about the fellow man;

"I hate intellectual conversation with intellectuals because I only care about my opinion."

“I hate ugly people. They are very depressing. ”

“If I was a Russian woman I would be lesbian. Russian men are not good looking. ”

Karl about sports

"Whoever wears running pants has lost control over his life." (uhhh)


Karl on diets;

"Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose."

Karl on tattoos

Tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full time ”.

Karl about Karl

“I am very much down to earth. Just not this earth. ”

"I do my job like I breathe - so if I can't breathe I'm in trouble."


Would you like to read more from Ilse and Nicole?


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Blogger duo Nicole and Ilse. They became colleagues and sisters in crime in their previous jobs and still work together a lot; they share an unbridled love for / knowledge of fashion & lifestyle. Opposites as they are - dark versus blonde, classic beauty versus rock chick. Momboss Nicole, mother of three kids versus freelancer copywriter Ilse where even a pet is not even negotiable. It is that duality (they are not a duo but a dua :) with which they bring out the best in each other. Nicole is the proud owner of PLEIN PUBLIQUE and makes amazingly good collections, Ilse writes as a freelance copywriter mrsalwayswrite.nl for (fashion) brands and web shops. Together they "knit" a monthly blog about fashion and trends. They like it. And hopefully you do too.