In Karl we trust
February 19, 2019. A date that the fashion world will never forget. Karl Lagerfeld left forever, dyeing any corner black of a Paris that woke up caressed by a few light rays of sun that soon would not matter.
85 years old. 70 career, 35 of them at the head of Chanel. Lagerfeld worked at the rate of ten collections per year for the French maison and two for the Italian Fendi , of which he was also creative director.
He never failed to salute at the end of a parade, except for the last one in which the Chanel Spring/Summer 2019 Haute Couture collection was presented in Paris.
Who did come out was his right hand and already his successor, Virginia Viard, triggering concern about the health of the German designer.
Karl Lagerfeld, the kaiser of fashion
LONG LIVE THE KAISER
Designer, photographer, director, producer, illustrator... everything fell short to name Karl Otto Lagerfeld. That is why, one day, he began to be called KAISER.
He was born in Hamburg, but at the age of 22 he moved to Paris –The city of fashion, where else?– And he began to work for Pierre Balmain until 1958.
later they would come Jean Patou (1958-1963) ; Chloe (1963-1978 and 1992-1997) ; Fendi (since 1965) ; his homonymous signature, karl lagerfeld (since 1974) and of course Chanel.
He made several designs for the tours of Madonna and Kylie Minogue he himself photographed many of his campaigns in addition to the mythical Pirelli Calendar –Who can forget Julianne Moore turned into a Greek goddess?–
Karl Lagerfeld in his first year at the helm of Chanel
He also got behind the lens to vogue germany (photographing Bill Kaulitz, leader of Tokio Hotel) and Vogue Spain ( with a spectacular cover by Joan Smalls).
We cannot summarize 85 years. The truth is that we could not even summarize the last one. But we can collect the moments –some well known, others not so much– and n those that Karl Lagerfeld left us speechless and made us travel –and daydream– awake.
PLAYED A ROLE IN L'AMOUR BY ANDY WARHOL
The Kaiser's friendship with Andy Warhol. What few know is that at the age of 40 he appeared in his film L'Amour (1973). And this video proves it.
**HER MOST EROTIC SHOW (WHICH CAUSED ANNA WINTOUR TO LEAVE) **
This parade of the Fendi brand in 1993 will be remembered because the Kaiser chose several nudists and the Italian erotic film actress Moana Pozzi to get on the catwalk and present his Blanco y Negro collection.
Anna Wintour she was one of the first to wake up shocked.
A ROCKET, A SUPERMARKET, A CASINO AND AN ICEBERG
Chanel shows were always eagerly awaited, not only for the clothing pieces but for the staging.
A 30 meter high rocket (with Rocket Man by Elton John in the background), a supermarket with Chanel milk brics or a demonstration are some of the images that we will never forget.
In 2010, a 240 ton iceberg presided over a parade inspired by climate change and in 2017 the French capital had for a day two Eiffel towers: the real one and a giant replica next to which the models paraded.
The rocket of the Fall/Winter 2017/2018 collection
They have not missed either tributes to Coco (and not just because of the tweed). In 2016 she put in the Grand Palais a replica of the famous stairs where Mademoiselle held her parades, this time surrounded by mirrors.
a casino –with exceptional players like Kristen Stewart and Lara Stone–, a terminal, the seabed (with Florence Welch singing on a shell) or a brasserie have been other memorable settings.
The Chanel demonstration with Karl at the helm
THE MOST FAMOUS CAT IN THE WORLD
Choupette she is possibly the most famous cat in the world (with permission from Hello Kitty). Her eccentric pet has her own Instagram account, her own service and His own book of hers!
We couldn't stop mentioning her.
AT THE OPERA IN MONACO
Every December, Chanel presents the collection Metiers d'Art, which aims to extol the work of the firm's artisans -known as les petit mains and to whom Lagerfeld also dedicated one of his Haute Couture shows–.
Although some have been held in Paris, the shows of the Métiers d’Art collections have been held in cities across the globe.
In 2006, Chanel traveled to Monte Carlo to present a collection inspired by Russian ballet.
At the Monaco Opera, 2006
THE FAR EAST
with the collection Paris-Shanghai Métiers d'Art 2010, the Kaiser paid homage to Chinese history and culture with a staging splashed with reds and golds.
EGYPT IN NEW YORK
Chanel's savoir faire traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of New York , where the kaiser's army paraded in the hall of the denbur temple.
A collection inspired by the pharaonic silhouettes of the Ancient Egypt with a New York touch of the most current.
At the New York Met
IN THE ROMAN STUDY OF CINETITTÀ
What is known as Italian Hollywood was the place chosen to host a parade inspired by cinema where the sets ranged from the sets of the Roma series to a black and white reconstruction of the French capital.
TO THE RHYTHM OF CUBAN SON
The Paseo del Prado in Havana it was transformed into a catwalk to host one of the most memorable parades of the French maison.
The 2017 cruise collection crossed the pond to revolutionize the Cuban capital.
The models were picked up by cars from the 50s at the National Hotel and in the public, as well as celebrities such as Gisele Bundchen or Tilda Swinton had locals who leaned out of the balconies of their houses.
Chanel in Havana
PLAYING AT HOME
The Elb Philharmonic in Hamburg it was the location chosen for Lagerfeld's first fashion show in his hometown of Lagerfeld.
the building of Herzog & de Meuron It welcomed, in addition to the public, an orchestra that accompanied the steps of the models on the stage converted into a catwalk.
Pieces made of tweed and nods to the Germany of the 60s They delighted the public.
ON THE WATERS OF THE FONTANA DI TREV Yo
Lagerfeld celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Fendi firm by presenting the 'Legends and Fairy Tales' collection with nothing less than the models of her parading on the waters of the Fontana di Trevi in Rome on a transparent walkway.
The parade was held after the donation made by the firm itself to restore the monument.
The magic of the Kaiser over the Fontana
WE GO TO THE BEACH
The last Chanel fashion show before her death brought to the Grand Palais in Paris a beach of authentic sand and waves that caressed the bare feet of the models.
They told him not to touch Chanel, that she was dead, that she couldn't do anything. Now no one can think of the signature without associating it with the Kaiser.
We all came to think that she was immortal. Maybe he even thought so himself.
And even if life comes to an end, every stitch of every tweed jacket, every camellia, every logo, every reinvented tailor, every pearl... It will remind us of him.
Long live the kaiser.
In short, a genius