Tuesday, at the age of 85, Karl Lagerfeld passed away at a hospital in Paris, leaving behind a legacy that will be impossible to fill. Who else can say they dressed a roster of sartorial icons spanning Grace Kelly to Pharrell Williams?
The German-born designer – most synonymous with his title as creative director at Chanel – boasted a never-ending resume. He moved to the City of Lights at age 14, where he assisted French fashion designer Pierre Balmain. After taking on a freelance position at the French fashion house Chloe in 1964, Lagerfeld was also appointed creative director at the Italian label Fendi in 1965 – a five-decade-long position he maintained until his very last days (the brand is scheduled to show its Fall 2019 collection this Thursday in Milan).
He took over Chanel in 1983 (and soon after launched his eponymous label) in what can only be described as the fashion job of a lifetime.
Season after season (he designed at least four collections a year for Chanel alone), his fresh takes on the brand’s greatest hits — ladylike tweeds, quilted purses and pearls — were served up in larger-than-life sets staged everywhere from the Grand Palais in Paris to a street show in Havana — complete with vibrant, playful and completely fresh takes on house classics.
His focus was almost exclusively on all things chic and luxurious, yet his forward-thinking mindset was one of his greatest assets. In 2004, he collaborated with H&M on an affordable, limited-edition line — the first of its kind between an haute fashion label and a fast-fashion retailer — that sold out within hours. At the time, such a collaboration was unheard of. Now they’re churned out on a yearly basis with high-end brands like Lanvin, Versace and most recently, Moschino.
The first Chanel show I covered in person was in March 2016, at Paris Fashion Week. Every guest in attendance received a front-row seat. It was one of those “pinch-me” moments that every fashion editor dreams of: an up-close look at frothy lace frocks styled with piles (and piles) of those iconic pearl necklaces. Quilted purses decorated with cat faces (a nod to his beloved and very famous feline, Choupette) swung by, their double “C” logos glimmering.
I caught a glimpse of Lagerfeld at the show’s end wearing his signature uniform: a white, high-collared shirt, accented with fingerless gloves and an immaculate white ponytail. I left hugging the folder filled with his sketches of the show’s looks.
Since then, with each show I’ve attended, his sets became more elaborate (and more Instagram-friendly – a nod to Lagerfeld’s masterful ability to outpace whatever is currently trending): One season, models walked along a life-sized waterfall, cheekily decked out in plastic rain hats and matching purses. In another, a rocket ship – set off by with a remote control by his beloved godson Hudson Kroenig (who also often walks in the Chanel shows) – took flight in the center of the Grand Palais. This past October, he infused a sense of much-needed joie de vivre with his jet-set-inspired collection in which models wearing chic one-piece swimsuits topped with denim pants smiled as they sauntered on a sandy beach against real, echoing waves.
As always, Lagerfeld summed it up best, saying, “I’m very much down to earth, just not this earth.”