Karl Lagerfeld's First Visit to a Grocery Store

For real. I don't get it. Never? Never in your childhood or University? What about a corner store or dug shop? He is 78, never in his 78 years? Prior to his fame? Never????? I really don't believe this, but I'll go with it.

Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of Chanel, has added another layer to his eccentricity by revealing that he recently visited a supermarket for the first time ever. 

Fans were first given a hint that the 78-year-old was up to something a little uncharacteristic, when, earlier in the week, he tweeted that the world would soon 'see Karl like [we have] never seen him'.

Out of place: Karl Lagerfeld is seen in a supermarket, shopping for stain removers in the detergent aisle as part of a shoot for French Elle

Fashion insiders immediately began speculating what they may meet in the days ahead from the flashy designer, with Fashionista.com wondering whether he may, shockingly, remove his trademark sunglasses.

 

 A sneak peek of the April edition of French Elle shoot shows the designer in the detergent aisle of his local grocery chain, choosing a stain remover.

Out next week, the eight-page spread shows the white-haired, sunglass aficionado in a series of highly unusual poses - for him, that is.

Going about what most of us would consider the mundane chores and routines of daily life, he is also seen driving a car and reading the sports pages of a French newspaper - activities that Mr Lagerfeld apparently never embraces.

For those who doubt the showman's tale - how can a man be nearly 80 and not have bought an item from a supermarket, ever? - he told WWD: 'It's the first time I've stepped into a supermarket. It's crazy - fascinating what one can buy. There's enough here to easily gain 20 kilos.'

His diet worries are perhaps not surprising, given that the designer has openly criticised the weight of many, and claims that he himself 'doesn't eat'. He famously lost 90lbs after realising in 2000 that he was not happy with his physique.

Indeed, Mr Lagerfeld once told W magazine that while he likes chocolate, he doesn’t eat it: 'I like the smell of it. People can drink with their eyes; I can eat with my nose. I would love to have a perfume based on chocolate.'

Driving is equally at odds with the character - he has not driven a car since the age of 18, explaining to the fashion newspaper that a life with a chauffeur, rather than with his driving-gloved hands at the wheel, is a 'benefit to society because I ended up in a ditch, without knowing why!'

In the glimpse of the shoot, Mr Lagerfeld's faces du jour, Saskia de Brauw and Caroline Brasch Nielsen, are seen poring over an item from their shopping list, wearing designs from the designer's new masstige Karl line.

I can believe that he hasn't driven since 18, I can believe that he doesn't eat, I can believe that he doesn't read the sports page, and I can even believe that he hasn't been to a grocery store in decades....but never???