Karl Lagerfeld to Design Helicopters

Aircraft company Agusta Westland has tapped the polymatic Mr Lagerfeld to design a fleet of VIP choppers. 

The AW139 twin-turbine helicopter is to get the Lagerfeld treatment both inside and out. 

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We're not sure whether to expect it to be emblazoned with the giant intertwined 'Cs' of Chanel, the 'K' logo of his new Karl diffusion line or even his own patented silhouette in manner of the Colonel from Kentucky Fried Chicken but one thing's for sure, it will be impossibly chic. 

 

A helicopter by Karl Lagerfeld will be the ultimate means of travel for A-List fashionistas and we're certain that Victoria Beckham, Carine Roitfeld, Sarah Jessica Parker, Blake Lively, Claudia Schiffer and Co will all be on board with his new project.  But will there be room for all their monogrammed luggage?

The Westland website puts everyone's minds at rest, assuring potential customers that the AW139 is equipped to transport up to 15 passengers 'in a most spacious and comfortable cabin' with an 'ample baggage compartment.' Phew. 

However, as Karl himself admits, the one thing he doesn't seem to have cracked is driving: "I haven’t driven since I was 18, and that’s a benefit to society because I ended up in a ditch, without knowing why!”

So let's hope that he sticks to the design of helicopter and steers well clear of the cockpit.

THE WIDE WIDE WORLD OF KARL LAGERFELD

Karl Lagerfeld  has long been known for his collaborative prowess. 

He's designed bottles for Diet Coke and crystal glasses for Orrefors, directed commercials for Magnum, guest edited a recent issue of Paris' Metro newspaper

And then there's a little matter of 20 odd collections a year spanning Chanel, Fendi and Hogan. 

Oh yes and his new eponymous lines too, of course: Karl Lagerfeld and the more affordable Karl - both of which are hawked on his very own website, Karl.com.

The site even boasts a section on 'karlisms' - featuring a selection of the kaiser's eminently quotable pearls of wisdom. 

Our favourite? 'If someone gives me a to-do list I say "thank you that is nice". One needs things to throw in the wastebasket.'

Lagerfeld Send Chanel to Adele as an Apology

 Karl Lagerfeld has upped his grovelling privately to Adele, whom he famously called 'a little too fat'.

The Chanel Creative director has appealed to the Grammy-winner's love of fashion and sent her a range of the label's coveted handbags.

According to The Sun, 'He told his team to send Adele the best the fashion house have to offer after hearing she collected bags.

'He's annoyed with himself because he ended up insulting her when he meant to compliment her. He thinks she's beautiful and calls her divine.'

 

Lagerfeld, 78, backtracked on the comments made to a French magazine earlier this year.

The jibes caused an uproar from fans, with even Madonna wading into the scandal, calling Lagerfeld's words 'horrible.'

Adele chose not to comment directly, but told People magazine in a well-timed interview, 'I represent the majority of women and I'm very proud of that.'

Within days, the German designer had issued a grovelling statement to the Someone Like You star. 'I’d like to say to Adele that I am your biggest admirer,' he said at the time.

'Sometimes when you take a sentence out of the article it changes the meaning of the thought. Adele is my favorite singer and I am a great admirer of her.'

Lagerfeld added that he admired Adele for being so strong in the face of comments regarding her weight.

He said: 'I lost over 30 kilos over 10 years ago and have kept it off. I know how it feels when the press is mean to you in regards to your appearance. 

'Adele is a beautiful girl. She is the best. And I can’t wait for her next CD.'

Clearly feeling that he has not done enough to get back in her good graces, Karl is now showering Adele with gifts, including the iconic quilted handbags and totes.

'He said he really wanted to make it up to her so they could maybe work together in the future.'

Blake Lively is the current face of Chanel's Mademoiselle handbags, but the Sun claims that Lagerfeld is now considering Adele to take over once the Gossip Girl star's contract is up. 

In his offending interview, Lagerfeld was quoted as saying that Adele was 'a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.'

Meanwhile Adele has backtracked on her promise to not record new material for five years while she focuses on her private life.

In an interview with radio station NFJ she said: 'There will be a new song, probably coming out at the end of the year. But then it depends how quickly I write some other new songs.'

Adele said another album is two years away.

Karl Lagerfeld Calls Newsweek a "Shi**y Little Paper"

From Styleite

Karl Lagerfeld is at it once again with his unfiltered quips. But instead of commenting on his insanely luxe life or his grocery store virginity, he ripped Newsweek‘sTina Brown a new one for publishing a not-so-raving article about his work.

Earlier this year, Newsweek reporter Robin Givhan criticized Lagerfeld and called him “overrated”. She argued that while the longtime Chanel designer is undoubtedly talented and his influence on the industry is non-pareil, he has a tendency to skate by without criticism.

For every classic Chanel handbag or fanciful riff on the little black dress inciting lust in the hearts of style-savvy women, there have been equally mortifying examples of pandering and buffoonery: a tweed jacket transformed into a circus costume, menswear that would make a drag queen flinch, handbags that reek of self-conscious status climbing.

Givhan also posited that Lagerfeld has become too much of a celebrity.

For all the snooty ickiness with which the industry tolerates celebrity designers, Lagerfeld is the celebrity that the fashion industry has spawned. His is a different sort of promotion than that of designers who have posed in their own advertising campaigns—naked or otherwise. They are hawking a product, albeit personally and provocatively. Lagerfeld is the merchandise.

And here’s what Karl had to say about it:

“First of all, Tina Brown’s magazine is not doing well at all,” he said before ripping into the credibility of the story. “She is dying,” he continued. “I’m sorry for Tina Brown, who was such a success at ‘Vanity Fair,’ to go down with a shitty little paper like this. I’m sorry.”

UPDATE: Newsweek released a statement in response:

In the past year since Tina Brown took over as editor in chief of Newsweek, newsstand sales have increased 30% year on year, advertising pages have seen a 27% increase for the first quarter of 2012, we have over 2.2 million people engaged in our social media communities and perhaps the most telling indicator of the renewed vitality of Newsweek, subscription renewals, in a consistent state of decline since 2005, rose by 3% last year.

So there.

[WWD]

Karl Lagerfeld Reveals His Daily Routine

Karl Lagerfeld is not normal. I think we all know that, but that's what makes him so amazing. He refuses to be boring, refuses to be average. He is a caricature for sure, one that would be difficult to take seriously, if not for his monumental success.  Karl Lagerfeld is this months Harper’s Bazaar“My List” subject, in which he details 24 hours in his life.  Here are some highlights. 

On his bedtime routine:

I sleep seven hours. If I go to bed at two, I wake up at nine. If I go to bed at midnight, I wake up at seven. I don’t wake up before—the house can fall apart, but I sleep for seven hours.

On his pajamas:

I wear a long, full-length white shirt, in a material called poplin imperial, made for me by Hilditch & Key in Paris after a design of a 17th-century men’s nightshirt I saw at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

On his beverage habits:

I never drink anything hot; I don’t like hot drinks, very strange. I drink Diet Coke from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed. I can even drink it in the middle of the night, and I can sleep.

On his hair:

I have my hair done because I hate to have hair in my face when I sketch. My hair is not really white; it’s kind of grayish, and I don’t like the color. So I make it totally white with Klorane dry shampoo. That is the best thing to do because my hair is always clean.

On his morning routine:

I don’t get dressed and take a bath until lunchtime because I am doing a dirty job, painting with colors. So I wear my long nightshirt; it becomes kind of like a painter’s smock, then it goes to the laundry. I have everything—sheets and nightshirt and robes—changed every day. I like everything to be washable, myself included.

On his bath products:

When I’m ready, I soak in the bathtub, if you really want to know. I used to have a product I loved, by Shu Uemura, but they don’t make it anymore, so I found a French product that softens the water; it’s a hundred years old. I put half a bottle in the bathtub.

On exercising:

I exercise very little because my doctor said it’s not necessary. I did a lot when I was very young, and all you do when you’re young stays.

On his “uniforms”:

My latest uniform is actually two looks—a special jacket with tails made by Dior, but not what you wear for weddings. I have them made in tweed and things like this. Then I have another jacket I love from the new Dior men’s collection that I bought five of, so people think I wear the same thing every day, but in fact it’s never the same thing. And then I wear jeans; at the moment they are from my new collection. They are dark gray with my face, my profile, printed in black on them, but you really have to look at it to see it.

On what he will do with his old clothes:

I still have all my clothes from 10 years ago from Dior, but I think I will give them back to Dior for the museum. I have pieces that are unique pieces that I will never wear again, because life is different now, you know. I used to fax a lot, but people don’t have faxes anymore.

On his two houses:

I actually have two houses. This house here, it’s only for sleeping and sketching, and I have another house two-and-a-half meters away for lunch and dinner and to see people, and where the cook is and all that.

On how he works:

The way I sketch, the way I work, I prefer to do all my work in the evening or in the morning and during the weekend, and I send everything on the iPhone. I’m not there in the studio draping—I don’t do those things. My work is very conceptual.

On Choupette:

Lately, I play with my cat, Choupette. The cat always stays home, and when I leave, the maid takes care of her. The cat is like a very refined object; she doesn’t go into the street, and she doesn’t go to other places. She is a spoiled princess.

Photos: Karl Lagerfeld via Harper’s Bazaar

Alice Dellal for Chanel

The much-anticipated Chanel campaign starring model Alice Dellal has been released, and it looks awesome. 

The announcement of the 24-year-old thrash metal drummer, model and socialite as Karl Lagerfeld's latest muse was met with more than a few raised eyebrows, but the resulting photographs - part of the campaign for the French couture house's Boy handbag collection - prove that Karl is, as usual, on point with his sometimes eclectic choice of brand ambassador. 

The campaign was photographed by Karl himself, who shot on location at a French chateau.

Clad in Chanel tweed and pearls, Alice lounges on lavish antique sofas and ornate dressers. 

Holding a Chanel Boy bag in each (metallic alligator, heavy chains and metalwork, strong, boxy shapes) Alice lends her own punky personal style to the scene, her ripped fishnet tights, tousled bleached hair and nose ring adding an extra dimension to Karl's elegant styling. 

A Chanel spokesman said she was the perfect match for the Boy handbag campaign. 

'Alice Dellal represents the perfect incarnation of all that is unique about the Boy Chanel handbag collection, which strives [to be] far from conformist notions of femininity,' they said.

'Alice is a real model of the moment,' said fashion experts from style blog Fashionfreude.com.

'She's been well on the radar for a while, having walked for Vivienne Westwood, among others in the past. But all credit to Karl Lagerfeld for choosing Alice for this campaign. She really is the perfect choice. 

'Her edgy appearance and punk aesthetic lends something new to any brand that affiliates itself with her. 

'For Chanel, Alice has an instant youthifying effect, while that punky edge that comes so naturally to her gives them instant kudos. Her rebellious look fuses so well with that exquisite elegance of   Chanel's classic tweed, lace and pearls.

It's not just about Chanel though. Fashionfreude.com say these partnerships will give Alice's already burgeoning career a major shot in the arm. 

'Watch her profile soar after this,' they said today.

Alice is the daughter of Brazilian supermodel Andrea Dellal and sister to successful shoe designer Charlotte Olympia.

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???