Karl Lagerfeld was fashion’s undisputed master, a dream maker who turned Chanel into a global force
- Post fashion editor Vincenzo La Torre recalls meeting the by then octogenarian designer in Rome and racing to keep up with his quick-fire delivery and wit
- Creative director of the French haute couture house for 36 years and of Fendi for a record 54 years, German pioneered itinerant shows that took them global
The German was a dream maker, the only designer who could rival a figure such as Walt Disney in his ability to create imaginary worlds through the unforgettable shows he conjured up for Chanel, where he acted as creative director for 36 years, and Fendi, where he had the longest tenure of any designer for a fashion brand – 54 years.
Lagerfeld’s fashion shows were never just glamorous displays of pretty clothes. From a massive Chanel-branded supermarket to a space rocket and a real iceberg, all recreated Hollywood-style at the Grand Palais in Paris, the sets of his Chanel shows were the stuff of legend.
I still treasure a tin of Coco Chanel coffee and a box of Chanel-branded farfalle pasta that I discreetly purloined, like many other show guests, at the supermarket show.
