One year has passed since, Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most prolific designers of our time, passed away. His legacy lives on after his seventy plus years of career as a fashion designer, creative director and photographer.
During his tenure at Chanel, he modernized the brand, reinvented the iconic tweed suits and the house codes to make it appealing to a younger audience. He launched ready-to-wear for Fendi, and also created his namesake collection.
The Kaiser of fashion, as he was often dubbed, popularized many styles that remain with us to this day and keep inspiring our sartorial choices. Let’s take a look at some of our favourites
- His take on the feminine-masculine aesthetic
Largerfeld was known to play on the ambiguity between masculine and feminine, not only through clothing but also by using models with an androgynous look. However, he made menswear-inspired pieces look incredibly feminine by using fitted cuts that enhanced the female silhouette, playing with colours and of course, adding the iconic pearls and chains that the house of Chanel was known for.
He reinvented classic ladylike staples
The legendary boucle tweed jacket, created originally by Coco Chanel, has been fashionable for more than 75 years mostly thanks to Karl Lagerfeld who reinvented it countless times. Other classics he helped perpetuate are the iconic Double Flap and Chanel boucle bag, pearl accessories and slingbacks.
He popularized trainers for every occasion
Back in 2014 when athleisure was gaining serious momentum, Lagerfeld picked up on the trend and donned his models with fancy trainers for the Spring Summer 2014 Haute Couture show. Since then, wearing trainers for almost any occasion has become widely accepted; paring up sportswear or leisure-like pieces with suits and other more formal garments was no longer a fashion crime.
He was a master of showmanship
From grocery shopping, Icebergs, airports, carrousels and launching rockets on the runway, Karl Lagerfeld’s extravagant set designs were a work of art. His over the top seasonal grand productions had also become one of the designer’s signatures, generating just as much, if not more, expectation as the clothes he presented.
He helped democratize fashion
In November 2004, he became the first designer to collaborate with fast-fashion retailer H&M, because he wanted to make his designs accessible to a broader audience. He paved the way for brands like Alexander Wang, Marni and Balmain, among others, which also went on to collaborate with the Swedish retailer.
His memorable quotes
- “The goal of fashion is for people to feel good.”
- “Personality begins where comparisons end.”
- “Fashion is a language that creates itself in clothes to interpret reality.”
- “Doing collections, doing fashion is like a non-stop dialogue.”
- “Change is the healthiest way to survive.”
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