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.
He took his loyal fans and followers on incredible journeys, sometimes literally. For Lagerfeld was the designer who pioneered the now-common concept of the itinerant show.
Cuba, Singapore, Edinburgh, Dallas, Seoul, Dubai, Salzburg – he travelled far and wide to display to the world the power of his imagination and his skills in making Chanel a truly global brand.
He did the same at Fendi, the Roman leather-goods house. His show at the Great Wall of China in 2007 will always be remembered as a pivotal moment in China’s embrace of Western luxury labels.
And to celebrate his 50 years at the Italian brand he shut down the Trevi fountain in the heart of Rome and made models including Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid literally walk on water.
I only had the honour of meeting Lagerfeld once, backstage after a blockbuster show for Chanel in Rome in 2015, in which he had recreated an entire Parisian quartier – metro station, brasserie and all – at the legendary Cinecittà studios (yes, only a film studio would do for him and match the grandeur of the Grand Palais).
The meeting happened to take place right after a heavily policed and rather on-script interview with American actress Kristen Stewart.
Needless to say, Lagerfeld more than made up for the starlet’s lack of cooperation.
His quick-fire delivery and wit were a bit overwhelming at first. In a matter of minutes he jumped from topic to topic, holding forth on the terrorist attacks in Paris the month before and on his love for Rome, a city he said he had visited more than any other place in the world.
With his passing, fashion has lost its master. Chanel, Fendi, and even Paris will never be the same again.
His death will cast a pall over the upcoming fashion weeks in Milan and Paris.
Chanel wasted little time before announcing Lagerfeld’s successor: Virginie Viard. She takes up his mantle with the perhaps bittersweet knowledge that matching his unparalleled talent won’t be possible.
As the saying goes, they just don’t make them like they used to.
