Remembering Karl Lagerfeld

by Jasmine Cartwright-Atkins | Jul 19, 2023 | Entertainment, FASHION, MUSIC, Uncategorized

Every year, Fashion Week is an event that many look forward to. Notable Fashion Shows; held during New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, and more. Preparation is always key, for those that are invited/attend, it is known to always make certain, that they show up and show out. Selfishly, the liberation I feel out of Fashion Week is, aligned with the specific energy of showing up in your most Avant-Grande, Innovated, and Fore-looking outfits, which for me, captures the beauty of personal fashion.

 As we approach New York Fashion Week, I wanted to honor Karl Lagerfeld (legal name Karl Otto Lagerfeld), known as one of the most alluring and sought figures in the Creative Direction and the Fashion Industry.

A Deep Dive into the Karl Lagerfeld’s History

To get deeper into History, one must understand Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy; from Balmain to Chloe from Patou to Chanel. Fashion Week is a work of art that means a lot to those that are into Fashion, those who follow Fashion, those who are interested in the sets, and fans of the event; Lagerfeld’s talent has imprinted on many people’s minds and marked itself in History. Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director behind the revival of Chanel (founded by Coco Chanel in 1910, in Paris, France).

Some Iconic Looks that Stick Out

The 2023 Met Gala theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” was to pay tribute to the late German Creative Director for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld was an Icon in his time, as he passed on February 19, 2019, in Paris, France. Lagerfeld left a legacy that is not easily overlooked and is heavily felt within the Fashion and Creative Direction Industry. Lagerfeld prided himself on making his shows feel like sets and is able to make you feel as if you are in another world. With Iconic Runway Shows such as the 2018 Haute Couture Show (Spring/Summer), 2018/2019 Ready-to-Wear Show (Fall/Winter), 2018/2019 Metiers d’Art (Paris-New York), 2014/2015 Ready-to-Wear (Fall/Winter) and 2017 Ready-to-Wear (Spring/Summer). 

Chanel Show, Fall 2014/2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Supermarket Show)

Karl Lagerfeld turned the Grand Palais into Chanel Shopping Centre where models walked down aisles stocked with Chanel-branded goods.

The theme for this show was, “Consumerism Era .” The set being transformed into a store, was an absolute genius by Karl Lagerfeld. As this is the 2014-2015 Fall/Winter Edition, the looks were prominent in pieces ranging from leggings and sweats to higher fashion clothing paired with trench coats, leather pieces, bomber jackets, layered clothing and practical shoe wear; such as boots and sneakers.

History on “The Consumerism Period”

This time period, was deep the conversation about Consumerism in America; and Lagerfeld portrayed that energy beautifully. From the 1940s to the 1970s, began the American Consumerism Boom/Normalization. This time created city to suburb placements, credit, blue collard jobs and more. Within this time period, majority of the population was beginning to indulge in having the best, having the trending products, etc- as the forefront as the image.

Karl Lagerfeld’s Creative Direction within this show, was a “Mirror to Society” type of energy, that many creatives express. The different with Lagerfeld’s explanation is the visual creation, combined with the fashion. This show, to me, portrayed the live version of the 1970s and molded it beautifully into the 20th century fashion, showed in the 2014-2015 shoot.

The Era of Consumerism

Described by the, “Smithsonian Institute”

Innovations in technology, expansion of white-collar jobs, more credit, and new groups of consumers fueled prosperity. “Business and political leaders claimed consumerism was more than shopping: it defined the benefits of capitalism.“

Chanel Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Lagerfeld took us into the Future, with the era being “Intimate Technology.”

The looks were prominent, were extremely futuristic and did not shy away from patterns. This includes Neon Colors, Wide Framed sunglasses, unexpected color mixes, paring unlikely colors together, etc. Karl Lagerfeld’s creativity came out in these looks. His reasoning for creating a more Futuristic look, was a conversation within Technological Singularity. Technological Singularity is the merger between Technology and Human Beings.

Fun fact: A data center provided the backdrop for this futuristic show at the Grand Palais in Paris, which included models dressed as glossy, white robots and bags flashing with led lights.

I saw this shoot as a beautiful follow up, to the “Consumerism Era” Fashion Show. As this is a further push into the “Future,” I deemed this Show as a Top 5. From the set design, to the clothing, to the overall time period (2017) I felt this was a very forward piece that was beyond it’s time, yet exactly on time. Beyond time, Karl Lagerfeld, projected himself in a way, that was beyond his time, a true visionary.

Chanel Fall 2018/2019 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Chanel transformed the Grand Palais into an enchanted forest. Models emerged from a mirrored cabin onto an autumnal runway of fallen leaves and bare trees. This Era for these looks is very 90’s esq. With the models strutting across the ground. This raw energy of creative expression, combing with the beautiful energy of the outfits; is simple unmatched.

Chanel Fall 2018 Ready-To-Wear Location

The colors associated with this particular show, bring a more Melancholy Aura; such as burgundy, black, dark blues, greens, grays and the occasional white for highlight. The Fall/Winter Season came in strong carrying practical full coverage items.

The types of clothing presented gave full body coverage, such as Long Sleeve/Long Jackets, Long Pants/Long Skirts

The types of accessories, added to the full body coverage. For example, most accessories included gloves, hoods, scarves, tights, earmuffs

With interesting pieces such as, mismatched earrings and long necklaces; these looks were intentional. Paired with the Fall/Nature Energy, Lagerfeld once again, hit the mark with the environments aesthetics- in which he created.

Chanel 2018/2019 Spring Métiers d’art  (Paris/New York Collection)

Chanel 2018/2019 Spring Métiers D’art (Paris/New York Collection): 

The looks were prominent in Jean looks, Neon Colors, Funky Colors and Ancient clothing representing the Egyptian theme. The clothing paired with the makeup and accessories; the looks created a new look mixed with ancient times and the current age.  

As Karl Lagerfeld states, speaking on the Show Collection, “It is made in a very artisanal way in the best sense of the word because it is artisanal there is art. The art of doing it well. An applied art. And it is astounding. I think the image of this collection is very much down to this refinement which should be seen close up, almost touched, to understand how it is done and to appreciate the beauty of this work.” –Karl Lagerfeld 

As a last look for this “Karl Lagerfeld Tribute,” we have the 2018/2019 Spring Métiers D’art (Paris/New York Collection). I included this look as finalizing my favorites, as I feel it shows the level of Karl Lagerfeld’s creativeness. As he goes from making commentary on the modern age, to a couple years ahead and back to the past- this to me shows Lagerfeld’s expansion, research and ingenuity.

Karl Lagerfeld brought the models to The Met’s Temple of Dendur. The Ancient Egyptian monument was carried beautifully by the catalogue that highlighted Ancient Egyptian inspired looks. The mix of history and present was beautifully executed. Down to the makeup, all of the makeup paired with

Karl Lagerfeld Exhibit

Located at “The Metropolitan Museum of Art”:

Karl Lagerfeld, currently has an Exhibit, at, “The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The title of Lagerfeld’s exhibit is called, “The Line Of Beauty.” Here, in New York City, you can see the work that he has done from the years of 1933-2019. About 150 pieces are displayed at this location (with the descriptions), so you can get the full experience of Lagerfeld. There are certain rules, while entering the exhibit – please make sure to check them out on the Website.

CITATIONS:

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/a-line-of-beauty

https://www.lofficielbaltic.com/en/fashion/chanel-the-paris-new-york-2018-19-metiers-d-art-collection

https://images.app.goo.gl/p3PeET27rJNPJV4D9

https://americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise-exhibition/consumer-era#:~:text=The%20Consumer%20Era%2C%201940s%E2%80%931970s&text=Innovations%20in%20technology%2C%20expansion%20of,defined%20the%20benefits%20of%20capitalism.